


Paper Cuts; Leather Binds

by LadybugSin, Sinfulpapillon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Age Difference, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Emotional Manipulation, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Soulmate journals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-03-13 10:40:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 59,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13568874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadybugSin/pseuds/LadybugSin, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinfulpapillon/pseuds/Sinfulpapillon
Summary: When Marinette turns 21 and is finally of age to pick up her soulmate journal, she expects to immediately be put in contact with a certain blond crush of hers like she's always dreamed of. However, when she opens up the journal to find it already half filled with entries from a soulmate who had long given up on ever getting a reply, she wonders what cruel joke the universe must be playing on her.When Gabriel hears the tell-tale sound of pencil against paper coming from a long forgotten leather-bound journal, he nearly thinks he's imagining things. After all, he'd long given up on believing in the soulmate system and had moved on to find love elsewhere. However, he finds himself presented with an opportunity he can't pass up: a chance to get closer to his leading suspect for Ladybug's civilian identity and possibly a new opportunity to get the earrings he so desperately needs to bring back his long-lost wife.All best-laid plans are bound to have complications, though. Actually beginning to harbor feelings for his enemy, however, was not one Gabriel expected.





	1. Chapter 1

“Happy birthday, Marinette!”

Marinette had just walked into the door of her parents’ home, laughing a bit as her father threw what appeared to be an armful of confetti up into the air. That was going to be a bit of a mess to clean up, wasn’t it?

“If I was expecting this sort of a welcome just because I was coming by for lunch, I would have been a bit more prepared,” she said, closing the door behind her. Granted, she knew the exact reason she was getting that as her welcome. It wasn’t like this was just an ordinary lunch with her parents, after all.

It was her 21st birthday.

“Oh, I decided on the confetti last minute,” Tom admitted with a little shrug. “I thought it would be a nice touch since this is such a big and important day for you, after all!”

Sabine nodded, moving forward to wrap her arms around Marinette in a tight hug. “Yes, but that important part can come later. We’ve got one of the best lunches set up for you, after all, and your father put a lot of work into the cake he has prepared for today. We best not let that go to waste, I think.”

Marinette laughed again, nodding in agreement. Her father always did seem to go all out when it came to baking anything, may it be an order someone has made at the bakery, or even just a cake for someone’s birthday. She knew that whatever he had made was going to be great. Maybe she could try snagging a few slices to take home and share with Tikki. Or some to bring with her when she went out with her friends over the weekend to celebrate her birthday with them.

Sure, someone might be planning to get her a cake or something, but it wasn’t like that was going to be better than what her own father could make.

They all sat down at the table, and Marinette felt as if nothing had changed. Yes, she had moved out to her own apartment and didn’t come by here as often (outside of the few times they needed an extra hand with deliveries or just some in general help around the bakery), but the feeling was still the same. The three of them fell back into an old pattern of talking and cracking jokes as they ate their food,

Sometimes they would ask her about how her classes were going, if she was having any troubles with them. Of course the only class that she had any bit of difficulty with was her marketing class, but hey, she had to take it if she was going to one day have her own fashion line, right? She just. . . Also needed to get her foot in the door of the fashion world instead of just nudging her toe against it.

She really needed to make that portfolio to show off to different companies.

When her parents weren’t asking her about classes, she took care to ask them how they were doing and if the bakery was still doing well. She knew the answers, of course, but she always liked being sure. If there was even the slightest hint that something was wrong with her family, she was going to do everything she could to make sure it didn’t get worse.

As the conversations continued on though, Marinette found herself growing a tad bit impatient. While she loved spending time with her parents, she really, _ really  _ wanted to get her journal already.

_ That’s _ what made today so important, after all. She could  _ finally _ get her soulmate journal and begin writing to who she was destined to be with! She had heard so many stories from her parents about when they got their journals and how they felt when they learned who the other one writing was, and how even after they became a couple they would still write in the journals to fill up the pages with any and all memories that could fit inside until they couldn’t write anymore.

Those two journals now sat side by side on a shelf in their bedroom.

“So, today is an important day, as I’m sure we all know,” Marinette began, thankfully catching the attention of her parents. “And while I’m sure there is so much more we could all do together, I was just. . . Wondering if I could have my journal now?” They did pick it up for her, right? Why weren’t they just handing it to her? Hadn’t they all waited long enough? They were probably just trying to tease her and keep the suspense going. Damn them!

Besides, she was so certain that she had met her soulmate already, blond hair and green eyes swimming up into her mind’s eye for a brief moment. What could he have already written to her, she wondered? She could only imagine it was something sweet and romantic, just like him.

Tom clearing his throat is what brought her out of her dreaming mind. Oh. Had they been talking to her and she not been listening? Whoops. That always seemed to happen when she thought about Adrien. A blush lightly colored Marinette’s cheeks when she finally gave her parents her full attention. Again.

“As we were saying,” Sabine began with a light laugh, “we’re not the ones who can pick up the journal for you, Marinette. That was one of the laws they changed five years ago. I know that the two of us had spoken of wanting to surprise you with your journal, since that was able to be done when we had originally gotten ours.”

“But the laws do change every now and again for different reasons. You’re still getting your journal, but you just have to be the one who picks it up this time,” Tom added.

Now that they mentioned it, she did remember some of her friends talking about it not too long ago. And didn’t some of the things she looked up say the same thing about having to be the one to pick up the journal? If she thought about it long enough, there was also a bit in the changed law that required the recipient to have a form of ID with them when they went to the Soulmate Security Offices to ensure that they weren’t stealing someone else’s journal.

While there were still reports about crimes being committed with the use of a soulmate journal, most had gone down since some of the law changes. It didn’t mean people would stop, and she knew from experience that not everyone needed a soulmate journal to manipulate someone to try and get what they wanted. A certain supervillain that had yet to be stopped came to mind, in fact.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Marinette said, giving herself a mental shake of the head. Now was not the time to be thinking about Hawkmoth. Today was a special, important day and she wasn’t going to let him get her down! “I want to go and pick up my journal! I want to see if he’s already written to me.”

***

She felt nervous, and for good reason. Who wouldn’t feel nervous on the day they pick up their soulmate journal? It was a big day for anybody, after all. And since she was so certain she knew who her soulmate was. . .

Would Adrien have already written in his journal? Would the pages be completely blank and waiting for the first letter to be put down? She didn’t know and it made her nervous! What if he had already written in it? What would he have said? A simple hello? Would he have introduced himself?

No, no, he wouldn’t have done that, would he? It wasn’t exactly a law, but it was certainly advised to not write down your name in the journal prior to your soulmate responding. Sure, some people would go a while without giving names, and some would introduce themselves the moment someone would write to them.

It didn’t mean that there weren’t cases of journals being lost or stolen that had names written in them already in preparation for their soulmate. Those were the times that the worst of the worst could take advantage of their victims by pretending to be the original owner of the journal before finally doing who knows what to them. So many lives and relationships ruined because of cruel people in the world.

Marinette was glad that a situation like that had never happened to her friends, and she could only hope that it wouldn’t happen to her. But why would it happen to her? She  _ knew _ who her soulmate was already. The journal would be more of a formality than anything. Oh! They could maybe use their journals to send sweet messages to one another when they weren’t together! That sounded lovely.

Marinette couldn’t stay in her fantasies for very long though.

They arrived at the offices, and she could feel her heart beginning to hammer in her chest. She was just mere moments away from getting her journal. Moments away from  _ finally _ being with Adrien.

First she had to actually  _ get _ the journal.

She stepped out of her parents’ car, the two of them giving her supportive looks. She knew they weren’t actually worried about what she may find in her journal, since they too knew how confident she was in her soulmate’s identity. It was still nice though to see that they would be supportive, of course.

Marinette made her way into the building, getting in line. There wasn’t as many people as she thought, which was good. It meant she could get in and out and head right back to her apartment. As great as the celebrations with her parents had been going, she would rather look at her journal in the privacy of her own home.

Thankfully, they already knew that.

Though the line wasn’t long, Marinette still pulled out her phone to look through her messages. Mostly it was a bunch of happy birthday texts (with one from Adrien, which made her all the more eager to get the journal,) though the one from Alya asking if she had gotten her journal yet was the one she chose to respond to.

[to: Alya] I’m in line now, actually. And no, you can’t have a peek. I need privacy when I get it

[from: Alya] what, that fast already? I thought you weren’t the first date kind of girl, mari! you’ve surprised me ;)

Marinette felt her cheeks start to burn. She walked herself into that one, she knew that now, but did Alya  _ really _ have to word it like that?

[to: Alya] No! That’s not what I meant!

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before continuing.

[to: Alya] I just want time to talk to him before the party we have this weekend. I don’t want things to end up being awkward

The line was moving. Marinette quickly pocketed her phone to keep her place and not look too distracted. How much longer did she have to wait? She just wanted to talk to Adrien, maybe even see if he wanted to go on a date sometime after her party. Things  _ had _ to go well!

She didn’t look at her phone the rest of the time she was here, deciding to text Alya back sometime after she had gotten the journal and started writing upon the blank pages it would hold. Might hold. Oh, she still couldn’t be sure if he had written anything to her yet!

She felt like she was shaking by the time she finally got up to the counter, pulling her ID out from her wallet before the receptionist had noticed her.

The receptionist smiled at her. “Name and ID please?”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she replied, sliding her ID to her.

The woman looked it over, turning it this way and that before holding it up to get the light on it more. Checking to see if it was a fake, obviously. Who would be stupid enough to try and use a fake ID to steal a soulmate journal? Thankfully that was a rare thing to happen, and the culprits of those cases were almost always caught.

Soon, the receptionist was handing back her ID with a nod. “Big day, huh? Getting your soulmate journal and all. I remember when I was your age and I finally got mine.” She tapped away at her computer for a moment. Getting in touch with someone to bring the journal out, maybe? She really should have looked up how the whole process for this went.

She had partially thought that the journals would be back behind the counter with the receptionists, but it made more sense for them to be safely tucked away somewhere else.

“A very big day. And I’ve got a good guess on who my soulmate is already,” Marinette finally said. “I’ve just been fretting over whether or not he’s written in his journal just yet. But I know exactly what I’m going to say.”

“That’s good. Though I do hope you won’t have to wait for your soulmate either. But, if you’re so confident on who the lucky guy is-” The receptionist stopped for just a moment to get up from her chair and walk over to someone who had just come from a side door. When she returned, Marinette’s journal was in her hands, still bound shut, waiting for her to finally open it.

“-I hope the two of you end up happy together. Have a lovely birthday.” She handed Marinette the journal.

She tried to stay calm as she accepted the journal and finally left the building. It felt surreal, almost, to finally be holding the very thing that would connect her to the person she was destined to be with. She wanted to grin and shout out loud just how happy she was. She wanted to announce it to the entire city that she had her journal and that she knew Adrien Agreste was her soulmate.

But no.

She couldn’t do that.

She wouldn’t do that.

Right now, it was time to go home and finally say  _ hello _ to her soulmate.

***

The moment she was back in her apartment, she made a beeline for the kitchen table. It took her a moment to realize that  _ maybe _ she was going to need a pencil or something if she actually wanted to write in the journal.

Marinette darted to her workroom to grab one from her desk, wasting no time with rushing back to the table so she could sit down. She couldn’t open the journal just yet though, right? After all, she needed to think of something fantastic to write in response to whatever Adrien had written! If he had written anything. He did seem like the type of person to wait on his soulmate though. It just goes to show how much of a gentleman he is!

Starting off with a simple ‘hello’ wouldn’t come across as too forward or bold, right? She could maybe try a pick up line? With how often she’s been around Chat, she had more than enough pun-filled pick up lines to work as some form of ammunition. And Adrien liked puns, didn’t he? Maybe he would like a pick up line that contained a pun then! He would smile and laugh at that, she was certain of it!

Okay. No going back now though. Enough time had been wasted. She would start off with a greeting and a pick up pun. Would you call it a pick up pun? No, stop, focus! It was now or never, and she really didn’t want to be someone who ignored her journal!

Marinette took a deep breath and opened it up to the first page and was greeted with-

. . .

A full. . . Page?

That was. Well then. Okay. She. . . She could work with this and read whatever was written later then. Page two!

Also. . . Full?

She kept turning the pages, finding that page after page and line after line was filled up. She could only catch snippets here and there as she flipped through a good bit of the journal, but there was something that stuck out to her about all of this.

The handwriting seemed to change steadily throughout the pages. It went from terribly sloppy to average to a very refined cursive. As if the other person had improved over time.

But….just how  _ much _ time had that been?

She’d heard about this before. It wasn’t the most common of things, but there were people who would get their journals and find that their soulmate had gotten theirs several years before. This couldn’t be right though! She wouldn’t have a soulmate who was older than her, right? Right?! And with how full it was… Just how long would her soulmate have been writing to fill up so much?

Marinette was. . . Confused. Completely and utterly confused.

This. . . This  _ was _ her journal, right? There was no way she could have been given the wrong journal, right? They were all locked up somewhere until it was time to get them! That’s what she knew, that’s what  _ everyone _ knew! So then, why?

Why was her journal nearly half full?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fic we've had in the works for about a year now, off and on attempting to get it written how we liked. We've put a ton of thought into the lore of this alternate universe and how to present Gabrinette in a realistic way, so expect a lot of complications and character development. We're really excited to share it with you and hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it.


	2. Chapter 2

_The history of the soulmate journals is something everyone knows at least a bit of. Granted, like most everything that has such a long history, much of it can get lost along the way. Historians have pieced together as much of it as they could, but the exact origins are still more based in legend than fact._

_The oldest known archaeological fragments of the immediate precursor to modern paper date to the 2nd century BCE in China. Its knowledge and uses spread from China through the Middle East to medieval Europe in the 13th century, where the first water powered paper mills were built._ _In the 19th century, industrialization greatly reduced the cost of manufacturing paper._

_Paper eventually became mainstream and very easy to get, but before then just how common was it to have a soulmate journal? What of those who didn’t have easy access to paper?_

_It is very important to note here that it isn’t the journals themselves that decide the soulmate. There is a different source of power for that, one that isn’t fully understood yet. Some claim it’s a sixth sense. Some believe it to be the gods. Some compare it to the legends of a red string of fate. Some believe it to be an underlying connection between all human beings and some of those connections are stronger between certain people than others._

_In most religious orders, there has always been someone who can read the auras around people and whether or not they had the same aura. This hasn’t always been reliable, however, as many would lie about if they could actually see soulmate auras in order to gain power in their communities. Until the soulmate journals were set in place as a human right, many took advantage of unsuspecting people seeking their true love in order to achieve riches and prestige. Now, there are far less people like this, since most people use the journals exclusively._

_The decision to create journals that used these soulmate links is a relatively new one. Once paper became commonplace, it has been used for a great variety of things. It wasn’t until the 20th century that research started on how to link people’s soulmate auras to paper. The human population has steadily increased over time and the amount of people who could actually read others’ auras has not had the same level of growth. It became apparent that there needed to be a different method if people were going to continue finding their soulmates reliably._

_Not to say that the soulmate journals are always reliable. Sadly, there is always the chance that someone could be given a journal that isn’t actually linked to their own aura. The governments in most countries have come up with ways to organize the journals more reliably over time. However, not all of our world’s countries have gotten on board with the same organizational methods, whether because of lack of funds or lack of belief in the system as well as other reasons they may have opposition to it. People who have soulmates in other countries can have more complications due to this, but it hasn’t stopped everyone in that situation._

_There are also cases of having journals stolen and used maliciously. Some of the most vicious predators and murderers of our time have confessed to stealing journals to get close to their victims. Luring them in by using the soulmate bond to gain undying trust in order to hurt them is considered one of the most heinous crimes known to man. If one is found doing this, they will be punished to the full extent of the law. The severity of the punishment is different according to what their intentions were._

_The fact that this is a worry for much of the population, the age people are issued their journals has steadily risen over time. The majority of the modern world has settled on 21 as a good age, considering all of the risks that can come with the journal system. Journals can only be issued by licensed personnel after proper training both in the security system and sorting but also in spotting fakes. There are many people who produce fake journals as well as try to make their own bootleg versions. There is much risk in this as well, as one could predict, as the process to link soulmates’ journals together is a very strict and tedious process that requires resources most people do not have access to._

_What those resources are, however, have not been released to the public._

\----

“Marinette, you'll never know who your soulmate is if you just stare at your journal! You’ve got to write back to them!” Tikki zipped around Marinette, trying to get a look at the young woman’s journal.

Only Marinette had already shut it and was now clutching it against her chest, her pencil forgotten on the floor.

How can she write back to someone that wasn’t Adrien? She hadn’t prepared herself for that! It had taken _years_ just to gather up the courage to plan out how she’d write to him in the journal and then it wasn’t even _him!_ This had to be a mistake! A fluke! She must’ve been given the wrong journal. There was no other explanation!

“Oh, come on! Are you even going to talk to him? You’ve been waiting for so long, Marinette! Don’t be nervous. I’m sure you’ll do just fine!” Tikki gave her a smile, flying up to give her an encouraging nudge on the cheek. “Don’t worry so much, okay? I’m sure he’ll love you! Who wouldn’t, after all?”

“Tikki, I...I don’t think it’s Adrien.” It couldn’t be, but she found herself still holding onto that last sliver of hope. She clutched the journal closer to her chest so she wouldn’t read enough to dispel the notion. He could have just gotten very excited and written a lot? Maybe he took lessons on his handwriting during the past year? Yeah, it had to be that.

“No matter who it is, you shouldn’t keep them waiting, Marinette. He (or she) deserves to hear from you, don’t you think? You wouldn’t want your soulmate to wait for too long, right?” Tikki sat down on her shoulder, bouncing slightly on it.

Marinette sighed. “You’re right, Tikki. I...I should at least say hi.” With a deep breath, she pulled the journal away from her chest and set it down on the desk in front of her. Still wanting to hold onto the notion that it could be Adrien despite everything, she quickly turned until she had found a blank page, ignoring what was written in the journal thus far.

‘ _Hello. I hope you haven’t been waiting for me for long._ ’

Were soulmates supposed to write back immediately? No, no, of course not. People had lives, and her soulmate surely had one and was busy. Too busy to look at a journal. . . But her soulmate was Adrien! Yes, Adrien….Adrien was always busy! He was always at a photoshoot or some sort of practice or something, so of course he was busy! Yeah, that must be what was going on, right?

Maybe he just wasn't nearby it? After all, not _everyone_ carried these things around with them, right? Yes, that had to be it. He was just at a photoshoot and had left his journal in the car, like he left everything in the car. Unless that habit had changed over the years? She’d been _trying_ to pay less attention, after all. She knew that just _how_ closely she’d watch Adrien’s activities when she was younger had been a _bit_ over the top. She only hoped her attentiveness to his schedule and activities was, well, a bit more _normal_ now. Just what was ‘normal’ anyway? She could only guess, really. Either way, it was less than before, so that was good, right?

Ugh, she’d drive herself nuts if she kept just letting her thoughts take control while she waited. She needed to distract herself!

Marinette began to doodle in the corner near her first entry, a simple design, really, of a spotted dress. She SHOULD be doing an assignment, but she couldn’t calm down enough for it. However, after a while, she couldn’t help but give in to the temptation to read some of the past entries.

The more and more she read, the more and more she felt her heart break. No, this person most certainly was _not_ Adrien. In fact, from how they spoke, they sounded….old. Okay, maybe that wasn’t the _nicest_ way to put it, but she could tell they were definitely _not_ in her age range.

Her soulmate was a guy. He’d specified that, at least. He’d also started off talking about his hobbies, from drawing to reading and even fencing. He’d spoken of some bands he liked that, if Marinette remembered correctly, her _parents_ owned records of. He’d even started to talk about his favorite books and comics at the time, as well as TV shows and films, all of which were far older than she was. In fact, if she was right on her history, they sounded like….

She began to look them up, curious if she could place the timeline he was speaking from correctly. After checking on each of the things he’d mentioned, she found she was (at least mostly) correct on the timeframe. His entries must have been made somewhere in the 90s.

She swallowed the thick lump in her throat, trying to not think about the gap in age that had to place them at. She immediately looked up when people back then were legally able to obtain their journals. Things had changed slightly, as the age started off at 19 in the 90s but was increased to 20 later on in the decade. This was not helping her feel any better, though. If he’d been 16 getting the journal, then maybe…

Nope, it’d still be weird.

Though, she couldn’t deny that sometimes she had found herself liking older men, but she’d always thought those would just be flights of fancy! Not anything she would actually pursue!

She covered her face in her hands, groaning in exasperation. What in the world was she supposed to do with this information? This was just going to be a big mess, wasn’t it? What in the world was she supposed to tell her friends? Her _parents?_

With how long he’d been without a response, would he even want to know his soulmate? Would he even still have the journal? What if he’d thrown it away a long time ago and now she was just going to be left waiting forever?! What if-

Then, she heard the sound of pen against paper, rushing over to grab her journal again and immediately turn back to the page she’d written on to see what her soulmate might have said. Thank goodness, there was still hope! He hadn’t thrown it away after all! Maybe he was still waiting and they could still get to know each other and live happily ever after like she’d always hoped! Yeah, it’d be weird, but if they clicked well enough, maybe she could still be happy, even if not with Adrien and even if not with someone her age. Maybe he’d be happy to finally meet his soulmate and fall in love and maybe have a happy family together with her!

She found the page, glancing down at the words written beneath her own.

_‘What the hell took you so long?’_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello._

_Soulmate journals are pretty cool, don’t you think?_

_I didn’t expect the leather to be genuine when I’d pick it up, I’ll admit! I’m the first one to write, so I guess I must have gotten mine first, yeah? That’s okay, I’ve waited my entire life for my journal, I can wait a little longer for you. I can tell you a bit about myself in the meantime._

_I guess there is a limit to what I can say about myself without risking much, so I’ll avoid all of those obvious ‘no’s. I can come up with something else. I like rock music mostly, so bands like Nirvana and The Cranberries, but I like artists like Mylène Farmer, too, if you prefer that. I also like a lot of different TV shows, like X-Files and Les Cinq Dernières Minutes. Books are really great too, especially if they have complex characters and complicated situations. I could recommend some sometime, if you like! I also like video games, though I haven’t been able to play as many as I’d like. Maybe I could play some with you!_

_I have a lot of hobbies, too. I like to fence. In fact, I’m really good at it! I seem to be the most talented in my class. I’m also very good at piano and learning other languages. I’ve already learned several languages besides French, so you can look forward to me coming up with new ways to be romantic in as many languages as possible! Well, if that’s your thing, of course. I’m also learning more about cooking. I’d rather know how to do that in case I need to, but I’ve found it’s honestly pretty fun! I’ll try to make sure I can impress you by the time you write back._

_While that’s fun, though, I prefer drawing. My father doesn’t care for it, but I can’t make myself stop. It helps me calm down and I really enjoy it. I would really like to make a living of it, but father says art doesn’t go anywhere. He has me pursuing business so you might hear me complain about my classes a lot. They’re very boring, haha. Don’t tell him, of course, but I’m drawing more often than not in those classes. They just go so slow and I swear I’d fall asleep if I didn’t keep my mind occupied otherwise. I’ll have to draw you something sometime. Just request whatever, you know? Anyway, I’m probably rambling now. If I don’t slow down, I might fill up this journal before you can get a word in, so I’ll stop for now._

_I’ll be here when you’re ready._

__***_ _

Soulmate journals were rubbish.

Gabriel knew this firsthand. Years upon years he'd wasted writing in that damned book only to never get a response. He eventually became one of the few who lost faith in the system and gave up on ever meeting his soulmate. At least, he _mostly_ gave up. Despite his supposed lack of faith, he had never gotten rid of the leather bound book. It sat on a shelf in his office, abandoned and dusty after so many years.

The lack of a soulmate didn't keep him from finding love, either. He'd gotten married, had a child, even lost the love of his life, all in the span of time his journal held only one person's handwriting. Very few people distrusted the soulmate system, but he was lucky enough to find the one girl in town who cared nothing for the journals. Thankfully, he actually had enough in common with her to fall head over heels. It didn’t help that she was absolutely gorgeous and sent shivers up his spine just with a simple glance in his direction.

Emilie had never trusted the system. Her own parents had gotten together without their journals so she saw no reason to use her own. Sure, she’d picked it up and it now took residence on the shelf beside his own, but she’d never opened it to look inside. She just never cared to.

Despite the fact he had chosen to ignore his journal, said journal had other plans. As he was sorting through paperwork, Gabriel heard the sound of pencil against paper, a scratching noise that was far too loud in a much too quiet room. He hadn’t heard that noise since, well, back when he’d hear it all the time around the city. Only recently had they invented a way to silence them, after all, and most people in professional settings had started to use the silencers on a daily basis. Very rarely would he hear anyone else’s journal at the office. He certainly never heard it in his own _personal_ office.

Hesitantly, he got up, his heart hammering in his chest as he placed his hand on one of the journals. Logic, of course, told him that it couldn’t be Emilie’s. He’d had a silencer put on hers years ago, since she got tired of hearing her soulmate trying to talk to her. He had to stop her from getting rid of it one day, wanting to keep it for his own reasons. Having the silencer on it only made it easy to hide, so Gabriel was sure to do so. Once she disappeared, however, he eventually moved it to sit beside his own. Two long forgotten journals sitting on a shelf, silent and unforgiving.

Still, there was a part of him that wondered if the silencer had simply just broken, a part of him that was more scared of the alternative than he’d ever admit. After all, if it was his, then that could cause more trouble than it would be worth, he was sure. He tugged Emilie’s journal off of the shelf, a shiver coursing through him. He never liked holding it, it always felt so... _off_. Despite the fact others would consistently confirm that holding soulmate journals that weren’t yours or your soulmates could leave you with an unsettled feeling, Gabriel still always worried if it was his wife mocking him from the grave for even going along with ‘this journal nonsense.’

He opened the journal to the last page it had been written on, but it was the same. Nothing had changed in years. He even flipped through the rest of the pages to be sure. It wasn’t Emilie’s journal making the noise. But that would mean…

Gabriel swallowed, not sure if he wanted to try opening it again. Every attempt to look through it only seemed to end with disappointment, after all. He wanted to open it out of curiosity, but he also was afraid of seeing anything new. He didn't want a damned journal having any control over his life, especially now.  He was so, so close to getting his wife back. He could _feel_ it. He wasn’t about to let some pieces of paper ruin the hard work he’d done.

Yet, he felt compelled to open it. He just had to see. Just one glance.

Before he knew it, he was watching a doodle appear on a page, his heart nearly pumping out of his chest as new lines formed, creating a simple dress design right before him. Gabriel nearly dropped the journal, feeling his ability to stay calm leaving him. He almost put it up, almost ignored it entirely, almost threw the journal away right then and there.

However, his anger won him over. He grabbed a pen, pressing it to the paper and letting the words flow before he really thought it through.

_'What the hell took you so long?'_

It took a few more moments before his soulmate responded, that scratching sound filling the room once more.

_'I'm sorry, I had just'_

There was another pause, their stop mid-sentence only aggravating him further. He was about ready to write back immediately, not wanting to hear whatever bullshit explanation they could possibly have for leaving him waiting so long. What kind of person did that? He had already stopped believing in the system long ago. This just felt like a cruel joke.

_'I just got my journal today. I'm sorry that I haven't been here for you for so long.'_

His heart skipped a beat, his hands beginning to tremble as he held the book, almost dropping it yet again. Just got it _today?_ He glanced around the room, swallowing hard as he considered what this new information could mean. Did they need a new one reissued after losing theirs? If so, why had they waited until now to do so? What in the world could have held them back?

Unless...

After a good, long moment, he finally decided to ask the most obvious question that hung in the air.

_'How old are you?'_

_'I'm 21. At least you don't have to wait for me anymore. . . Right?'_

Gabriel stood back up from his desk, not even having realized he'd sat down. He could feel his entire world starting to crumble around him. Breathe. Just _breathe_. This had to be some kind of joke the universe was playing on him. That was the only explanation. He needed to not let it mess with him. There was a reason he hated these journals in the first place and he didn't have to let it control his life.

But what of this person's feelings? He hadn't exactly given them any reasons to understand why he'd reject all of this. Normally, he wouldn't care. He had no reason to, right? But then again...this could also end up turning into something interesting. If anything, this could add some form of entertainment between everything. Yes, of course, he didn’t have to let it control his life, but he could still use it for his own amusement.

He sat back down, brandishing his pen once more.

_'I get the feeling we've got a bit of a gap in age.'_

_'A bit, yeah. You waited for a long time, didn't you? I sort of glanced at the previous entries.'_

Their handwriting was a bit shaky as they wrote that. Obviously, they must have been nervous themselves.

A long time. Heh, that was an understatement. He glanced over the other's handwriting, considering asking who they were, their gender, their hobbies, their name. However, he found that would just feel too easy. Besides, was this person mature enough to even bother with? Letting someone into his life right now already sounded like a terrible idea without possibly involving someone who hadn't even reached a significant level of maturity yet.

No, best to play things safe and see if it was even worth it.

He, instead, began to sketch beside the doodle she did earlier. His lines soon formed into the semblance of a woman, a dress flowing back behind her in the wind. He began adding a hat, letting the lines flow as they wished.

After a bit, his soulmate responded by adding a few more additions to their own sketch (a little hat, a purse, they even decided to add a few bits of jewelry) before words popped up on a blank spot nearby.

_'Into fashion? Or just art?'_

Gabriel was adding in the fine details when the question came up. He contemplated just how much he should give away about his identity before deciding this was harmless enough.

_'Both. And you?'_

_'Both. I'm actually in school for fashion design at the moment. Hopefully I can get an internship somewhere soon.'_

Oh? So, they were pursuing the fashion design field. How intriguing. Perhaps he could figure things out by process of elimination with any intern applicants he received. He'd have to ask HR to forward them to him from now on.

After another moment, some lines were drawn on a different blank spot of the page, his soulmate starting up a new design. This was interesting, to say the least, and he couldn’t help but realize these drawings contained a certain level of skill that he could appreciate.

_'Serious about the field, then? There's a lot of places you could intern at. What were your top picks?'_

Okay, this could help figure out if she was going to apply to his company or not, but if he was being honest, he really hoped the other might stroke his ego some.

_'Very serious. I've been designing and making my own clothing and accessories since I was young, after all. And well'_

They stopped there, as if to add to the suspense, even though they were likely only thinking their answer through. Was it a bit embarrassing that he was eager to see their reply? Perhaps. That didn’t stop him from waiting patiently for it, though.

_'This is going to sound silly, I'm sure, but I've always looked up to Gabriel Agreste, and it has been a dream to intern for him. I even won a contest at my school that he had set up! I’ve only met him a couple times but I never got to show him my work in person, which is fine! He's one of the biggest names in this industry, so of course he'd be busy.'_

Aha, two birds with one stone! Not only did he get to have his ego stroked, just like he'd wanted, but he also had a very good clue as to who they were now. Or, rather, who _SHE_ was. There had only been one contest. After all, he had only done it as a PR stunt kind of deal (as well as a sneaky way to see more of what his son was dealing with in school), so there was no real need to do any more.

And since that very girl had gotten on his radar as a possible bearer of the Ladybug miraculous...

_'I have some connections in the industry. I could possibly set up something for you?'_

Yes, this could be a very easy way to get a consistent eye on her. If he played his cards right, he could unmask her easily. He’d be able to watch her for a good portion of the day and whatever he didn’t see, the security cameras at work certainly would. This would be a piece of cake!

_'As wonderful as that would be, I feel like I should earn my way up, don't you think? It wouldn't really look good if people found out my soulmate got me the position I'd have, right?'_

Gabriel groaned in frustration. So, it wouldn’t be that easy then. Great. Still, she had a point.

That didn’t stop the bit of disappointment he felt upon reading her reply, though. If it had worked, he would’ve had a prime opportunity to keep his top Ladybug suspect nearby. He'd have to figure out another way. He contemplated his response for a moment before picking his pen back up.

_'Determination. I like it. You trust in your skills as a designer, then?'_

_'Of course I do! I mean, I've made mistakes before, and I make mistakes now. Just because I've been successful as a teenager and won a contest or two, it didn't make me a professional like Gabriel Agreste, Coco Chanel, or anyone else.'_

He contemplated his next response, but gained another reply before he could think of one.

_'I do have a portfolio ready to show off when I apply for an internship though. I want to get somewhere in this industry, even while in school.'_

_'If your portfolio is ready, then why haven't you applied to a place yet?'_

It was a legitimate question, after all, and one he'd really like an answer to. Even if he wanted her in his sights, he wouldn’t allow for laziness in his company.

_'Ah, well, you see'_

Another long pause. Why did she have to start writing something before she’d thought it through? It was absolutely aggravating.

_'Always in the wrong place at the wrong time, I suppose. Other things just get in the way. But tomorrow I plan to get up early and finally turn in that application!'_

Oh, great. She was starting to sound more and more like a procrastinator. That could prove far too frustrating. He was just going to have to give her motivation. But how? He could certainly find a way. Yes, perhaps if he just...

_'You wanted to work with big designers, yes? You know that they will be less inclined to take on someone who waits last minute. I really think you should get your portfolio turned in as soon as possible. Don't let it slip through your fingers.'_

_'I don't want this to slip through my fingers! I'm not going to let it!'_

Good, she took the bait. Now to just see if she would follow through.

_'My plan is to turn in my portfolio before my morning class tomorrow. I've got a few designs in there that I hope will amaze everyone!'_

_'Then I hope I get to see your portfolio at the company. I'd love to see something impressive.'_

He tried to keep it broad-sounding enough to not give himself away. He just had to sound like an employee at a fashion company. However, he needed to sound eager as a soulmate, too.

_'Stick to that plan? For me?'_

He wondered, if he concentrated enough, would he be able to feel her reactions? If only he knew exactly which emotions were hers.

_'Of course. I'll gladly stick to the plan. No sudden projects, or babysitting gigs will stop me. Heck, even if an akuma strikes I'll still find a way to avoid the damage and turn it in!'_

He smirked at that, chuckling softly. Oh, if only she knew.

_'Who knows? If I don't see a portfolio turned in, you might just cause an akuma, dear. I'll be so disappointed, you know.'_

A little guilt-tripping should surely set her resolve in stone, yes?

_'I won't let that happen. You'll get to see my work bright and early in the morning. I promise.'_

Hook, line, and sinker. It was nice to know even his leading Ladybug suspect could fall for his silver tongue.

_'I look forward to it. Goodnight, dear. Need to get up bright and early to make sure I'm there for when you turn in your portfolio.'_

_'Good night. I hope to see you then.'_

Grabbing up the journal, he then took it with him as he headed towards his bedroom. He found himself feeling a bit (dare he say it?) _cheerful_. 

Tomorrow should prove interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, editing the journal interactions in a format that isn't our roleplay format is gonna be tough. We decided for the first one, we wanted to see both sides of it instead of trying to meld both of their perspectives into one chapter. So, you guys will get to see Marinette's side of this interaction in the next chapter! 
> 
> Just so you guys know, Sinfulpapillon primarily writes Gabriel and LadybugSin primarily writes Marinette (who would've guessed, right? xD). 
> 
> So, let's just say that I (Sinfulpapillon) am really, REALLY looking forward to coming up with all these journal entries from when Gabriel was still a hopeful young romantic and showing the contrast between him when he was younger to him now. Also, I love writing this asshole and I hope you guys enjoy my portrayal of him.
> 
> Spoiler alert: He's a dick.


	4. Chapter 4

_“What’s a soulmate?” a curious child asks one day._

_“A soulmate is your best friend,” says one._

_“A soulmate is the one who will treasure you forever,” says another._

_“A soulmate is nothing,” mocks a third as they knock back a drink. “And you’d be better off without one.”_

_But the child isn’t deterred from learning more. No, no, of course not! The child feels more determined. Who knew people had such different views on soulmates?_

_So, the child began to wander. The child went from place to place and couple to couple, asking up and down the same question over and over again._

_“What’s a soulmate?”_

_The answer was always different, you see, just like the first time it was asked. Sometimes the answers lined up with one another. A soulmate was your best friend and the person who treasures you. A soulmate is the person who will be with you forever._

_Some still viewed soulmates as something to distrust, as something to resent._

_The child could only feel pity for them. Would these be the people who never found happiness, the child would wonder? Would they be the ones to stay angry at the world and never be happy with the gift of knowing there was someone destined for you?_

_One day, when the child was grown up, another child approached them, one younger than they had been when they began asking their question._

_The new child looked up at them in wonder, their eyes on the leather journal that they had been writing in._

_“What’s that?” the child asked._

_“A soulmate journal,” they answered._

_“What’s a soulmate?”_

_The now-grown adult grinned, closing their journal and crouching so they were eye level with the new child._

_“A journey.”_

_-_ ‘What’s a Soulmate?’ tale, written 1908, author unknown

***

Marinette could only stare at the response given to her.

_‘What the hell took you so long?’_

“Seriously?! Of all the- No, calm down, let’s just. . . Write back?” Yeah, writing back would probably be the best idea right now. After all, it might help clear a few things up, right? Even though the man was being a bit rude with that response.

_‘I’m sorry, I had just’_

Just. . . What? Had just gotten her journal maybe an hour or so ago? Had not expected to open up her journal and find a good portion of it filled already? Had thought her soulmate would be someone that was only a year older than her at _most_? Had expected all of her dreams to start coming true the moment she opened up the damn thing?

Shit, she had been quiet for too long, hadn’t she? She was quick to add on to what she had just written.

_‘I just got my journal today. I'm sorry that I haven't been here for you for so long.’_

Was that even okay to say? Oh, God, what was she even doing? Would it have been a better idea to just ignore the journal once she saw all the entries that had already been written? And yet she still wanted to give it a shot! She just. . . She just had to treat this like one of her assignments, or an exam, or _something_ that she could totally handle! Yeah, that’s all she had to do! This wouldn’t be so hard, right?

_‘How old are you?’_

Marinette couldn’t help but feel a laugh bubble up in her throat. Seriously? That question was kind of stupid, wasn’t it? How old did he think she was then? After all, if she had _just_ gotten her journal today, it should be _obvious_ that she was 21, right? Unless. . .

Her soulmate didn’t quite realize the gap between them?

_‘I’m 21. At least you won’t have to wait for me anymore. . . Right?’_

But he _hadn’t_ been waiting for her! Right? She might not have read all of his entries, but from the few glances she had, it didn’t seem like he should even be caring that she was finally responding, right? Unless he had waited this entire time?

That wasn’t likely. During her skimming, she had caught mentions of a wife. A child.

Her soulmate had already lived his whole life and she hadn’t even been around for _half_ of it. It would be ridiculous to wait that long. Was he just going to humor her before rejecting her completely? Maybe she should have just ignored her journal then. She had been so excited and now...

Now she just felt a tad bit foolish.

_‘I get the feeling we’ve got a bit of a gap in age.’_

Ha! A _bit_ of a gap, right. This really was going to lead to a rejection, wasn’t it?

_‘A bit, yeah. You waited a long time, didn’t you? I sort of glanced at the previous entries.’_

She was shaking. Then again, who wouldn’t be? She was gearing herself up for the biggest rejection of her life. Sure, she could put it off as just nerves (and maybe it would count as that), but she wondered if there would be a point to fully reading the past entries. What all would she learn? Would it even matter?

Everything she had been hoping for was completely ruined now. Fate had different plans for her and she never once got the memo for it.

Her mind was racing in all kinds of different directions as she waited for him to respond. Unless he had just abandoned it and was going to leave her alone like this. Could she really blame him if he did that? She was who knows how many years his junior, he probably thought she wasn’t even worth giving the time of day to!

And then she heard pen against paper again.

She quickly looked at the page, half expecting words and feeling surprise run through her when she saw a sketch being drawn next to her doodle. That. . . That didn’t look too bad, actually. Marinette picked up her pencil again to add to her own design, adding a little hat, a purse, and just a few bits of jewelry. There. Now it looked a bit more final. Maybe she could expand on it for class one day?

She then sought out a blank spot on the page to continue writing.

_‘Into fashion? Or just art?’_

_‘Both. And you?’_

Well, this was a pleasant surprise. Not only had there been no rejection (yet), but she also learned that her soulmate enjoyed something very important to her. Fashion was _extremely_ important to her, so that was a relief! Sure, she probably could have learned that from one of his older entries, but it was nice to find out in the moment. She felt a small smile tug at her lips as she eagerly wrote back.

_‘Both. I’m actually in school for fashion design at the moment. Hopefully I can get an internship somewhere soon.’_

As she waited for his next reply, she began to draw again, knowing full well that what she was sketching now should be done in her actual sketchbook and used for class. But hey, the idea had been in her mind and she wanted to get it down on paper, so here it was.

_‘Serious about the field, then? There's a lot of places you could intern at. What were your top picks?’_

She smiled at his questions, once again feeling like he was just humoring her. Or, who knows? Maybe he was starting to get a bit interested? Even. . . Even if nothing actually came out between them from this, at least they could just talk to each other? That wouldn’t be so bad, right? A companion who enjoyed fashion design was still a good thing. 

_‘Very serious. I've been designing and making my own clothing and accessories since I was young, after all. And well’_

She tapped the eraser of her pencil against her bottom lip. If she was being honest, she would love to intern at Gabriel Agreste’s company, but she kept several in mind just in case she wouldn’t be picked. Not wanting to keep him waiting for long, she continued her response.

_‘This is going to sound silly, I'm sure, but I've always looked up to Gabriel Agreste, and it has been a dream to intern for him. I even won a contest at my school that he had set up! I’ve only met him a couple times but I never got to show him my work in person, which is fine! He's one of the biggest names in this industry, so of course he'd be busy.’_

Now she felt somewhat silly for actually admitting that. Maybe she should have just kept quiet about it? Or maybe she should have listed a few other names? Why was she second guessing herself now, of all times? The information was out there, it wasn’t like she could take it back!

Wait, could she?

Marinette went to erase what she had just written (to just change and add some things, of course! That was all, really!), but stopped once the sound of pen on paper registered to her once again. She was almost too nervous to see what he was writing, but chanced a glance anyway, completely prepared for her soulmate to agree that she was sounding silly.

_‘I have some connections in the industry. I could possibly set something up for you?’_

He. . . wait, what?

When she really should have been asking questions about that (such as who he worked for, what fashion lines did he possibly work on, etcetera), she couldn’t help the rush of excitement that she felt at this news. He had connections! She could get in no problem! She could bypass turning in a portfolio for review entirely and get her foot in the door right away! She could-!

Marinette stopped, tearing her attention away from the journal to look at the door leading to her makeshift studio. She had projects upon projects in there, sketches waiting to be brought to life, class assignments that she could freely expand upon now that they had been graded. Her whole life was basically beyond that door, and even then she could look around her apartment to see it was spilling out beyond her studio. She looked over at her backpack, which was slouched up against the wall. She had assignments she still had to complete in there, hell, even plans for a possible mock fashion show her class would be putting on at some point if things worked out well. Sticking out of one of the backpack’s pockets was a few fabric samples that she had been intending to use with her recent designs for class.

If she was to get up and walk around, she’d find sketches scattered about haphazardly from sudden bouts of inspiration, some even half finished because she’d have to leave in a hurry for school, patrol, or even akuma attacks.

She couldn’t accept his offer, she decided. Accepting his connections would be cheating, and if it got out that her _soulmate_ was the one who got her into the industry, she would be looked down upon even more than if she started out as an intern. She wanted to earn her place and make sure everyone else _knew_ that she had.

Marinette picked her pencil back up.

_‘As wonderful as that would be, I feel like I should earn my way up, don't you think? It wouldn't really look good if people found out my soulmate got me the position I'd have, right?’_

Hopefully he wouldn’t be offended by that. Then again, maybe he would understand completely and not try to push for her to just accept his help?

_‘Determination. I like it. You trust in your skills as a designer, then?’_

Oh thank god, he wasn’t offended! She let out a sigh of relief once she read those words, this time not wasting a second more before responding.

_‘Of course I do! I mean, I've made mistakes before, and I make mistakes now. Just because I've been successful as a teenager and won a contest or two, it didn't make me a professional like Gabriel Agreste, Coco Chanel, or anyone else.’_

She was in school for this after all. How the hell could she be a professional? She hadn’t even gotten the chance to try selling her work online. The most she got from that was people she knew commissioning her for something. Business and advertisement wasn’t her strong point, after all. And she wanted to get actual advice and see how working with others in fashion was. An online boutique was the last thing on her mind.

_‘I do have a portfolio ready to show off when I apply for an internship though. I want to get somewhere in this industry, even while in school.’_

She was quick to add that to her last entry, realizing that maybe it would be bad to leave out that bit of info.

_‘If your portfolio is ready, then why haven't you applied to a place yet?’_

_‘Ah, well, you see’_

Marinette hesitated. How could she explain that each time she would go to put in her application, something would get in the way? Sometimes people got her to babysit for them at the last minute. Alya would rope her into crazy projects or tell her some insane ideas she had for the Ladyblog into the late hours of the night. Her parents would even ask for her help at the bakery, and even if they said she didn’t have to do anything, she always went over to help.

It also didn’t help that akuma attacks would happen at the worst of times, and she’d have to recreate most or all of her portfolio because of the damage that would be done. Those were the worst times, if she was being honest.

_‘Always in the wrong place at the wrong time, I suppose. Other things just get in the way. But tomorrow I plan to get up early and finally turn in that application!’_

Would he understand that? Probably not. They had just agreed that she sounded serious about this, and suddenly she appeared to be making _excuses_ for why she had yet to turn in her portfolio. They weren’t excuses, though! She just. . . couldn’t really explain in detail what some of them were, that was all. Especially the akuma parts. Even now, she couldn’t reveal herself to anyone.

_‘You wanted to work with big designers, yes? You know that they will be less inclined to take on someone who waits last minute. I really think you should get your portfolio turned in as soon as possible. Don't let it slip through your fingers.’_

At that, she felt half tempted to argue the real reasons she hadn’t turned it in yet. Namely, the fact that she was Paris’ spotted superhero. As much as she would like to ignore her duties for even a night, she couldn’t dare do so. Of course, that temptation was quickly shoved down as she forced the argumentative side of her away. The last thing she should do is give any details like _that_.

_‘My plan is to turn in my portfolio before my morning class tomorrow. I've got a few designs in there that I hope will amaze everyone!’_

_‘Then I hope I get to see your portfolio at the company. I'd love to see something impressive.’_

Marinette was about to write a response, only to still as she watched her soulmate add on to his entry.

_‘Stick to the plan? For me?’_

Her heart skipped a beat as her face grew a bit hot. He might not have revealed where he works, but that didn’t matter. He was going to see her work regardless, right? May it actually be her portfolio itself, or even something she’s assigned to do.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Oh, if only her soulmate could see her now. Would he think her reaction to this was amusing? Probably. She was already feeling a bit wishful at this point as well.

_‘Of course. I'll gladly stick to the plan. No sudden projects or babysitting gigs will stop me. Heck, even if an akuma strikes, I'll still find a way to avoid the damage and turn it in!’_

And she meant it, too. Thankfully though, it seemed like Hawkmoth usually had more important things to do in the mornings that didn’t involve akumatizing some poor Parisian.

_‘Who knows? If I don't see a portfolio turned in, you might just cause an akuma, dear. I'll be so disappointed, you know.’_

If the previous statement had made her heart skip a beat, this one made it nearly stutter to a stop. _No_ . She didn’t even want to _think_ of her soulmate becoming an akuma! For one, she would feel completely guilty that she had been a factor for his akumatization, and for another, she would rather that _not_ be how she met the man.

~~If they were to ever meet of course.~~

_‘I won't let that happen. You'll get to see my work bright and early in the morning. I promise.’_

_‘I look forward to it. Goodnight, dear. Need to get up bright and early to make sure I'm there for when you turn in your portfolio.’_

_‘Good night. I hope to see you then.’_

Marinette closed her journal carefully, her heart beating out a new rhythm in her chest that could rival some of Nino’s music. This had actually happened. Sure, it was the most unconventional and not exactly the most ideal thing to happen on her birthday.

Then again, were most things in her life ideal and conventional? No, not really.

It didn’t stop her from being excited that she had a soulmate she could talk to, and potentially work with as well! Even if she didn’t know who he was just yet, maybe she’d get some sort of idea tomorrow morning?

Well, she wouldn't know unless she got to bed at a decent time, now would she? She needed to make sure she wouldn't wake up late tomorrow of all days! She quickly grabbed up her things and rushed of to get everything prepared for the next morning. She had a lot to get ready, after all!

As well as a lot to look forward to.


	5. Chapter 5

_You haven't replied back. I'm going to guess you haven't gotten your journal yet. I need someone to talk to about this, though, and none of my friends really understand. I want to take classes for art and fashion design but my father refuses to pay for them. That wouldn't exactly be as much of an issue as it is if he would let me get my own job. Sure, I suppose at my age I can go out and get a job anyway, but he's not someone you want to make angry. He wants me to concentrate on school instead of a job distracting me, so he's threatened to stop paying for things if I get a job. I'm starting to wonder if this is really just a way of keeping me under his control even after I've moved out of his house. If he controls my money flow and controls which classes I take and which school I go to, then am I really as independent as I thought I would be once I got away from him?_

_No. I'm not. That's just a fact. He still controls my life even when he's not watching me 24/7._

_I'm so tired of this. It's been my dream to go into something artistic since I was a kid. I want to draw comics or do character design or fashion design or SOMETHING other than become some money-hungry CEO. I don't care about the money, I just want to do what makes me happy, you know? What's the point of having a ton of money if you're miserable?_

_He insists that being an artist will get me nowhere. He says I'll end up starving on the streets if I try to be one, that even he wouldn't buy my art. He says he's making me pursue business for my own good._

_But what about what I think is good for me? Drawing makes me happy and my classmates seem to like my art. That has to mean something, right?_

_I'm sorry for unloading on you like this. It's just that everyone else thinks I should be grateful. They think being able to do all of this and not have to get a job to pay for things is something I should be thankful for, but they just don't get it. Of course they don't get it. They haven't dealt with my father as long as I have._

_I wish he would just leave me alone. I feel envious of those whose fathers aren't around that often, or at all. I feel like he suffocates me._

_I'm starting to hate him, I think._

_You know what? If he wants to insist I pursue business, then maybe I should do just that. Could you imagine the look on his face if I started up a successful business based around art? I can't imagine anything more satisfying, to be honest._

_I think I'll start with doing art commissions to earn up enough money for the classes I want. Since its not an official job, he would never have to know._

_Okay, now I'm getting excited. I'll get started right away!_

_He'll never know what hit him._

***

The next morning, Marinette was actually putting in a decent amount of extra effort into getting ready. Putting on subtle makeup that would be more natural and not too 'I'm trying to show off' was one of her first things to do. And she had actually bothered to style her hair, even though the month before she had gone and cut most of it off so it would be a pixie cut.

Shorter hair meant it wasn't easy for an akuma to grab her that way. It also meant she didn't have to worry about her hair as much when she'd wake up late.

Her outfit was probably the trickier part, and she had just ended up wearing a skirt and blouse she made, along with a cardigan, just in case she got a bit chilly.

The first stop she made was the offices for Gabriel Agreste's company. It was her first choice, so she wanted to get there earliest so as to make the best impression she could. Actually stepping inside was a bit more nerve wracking than she had anticipated. She could be confident, and keep her head held high, though!

Gabriel himself had made sure to be nearby the front desk so he could 'conveniently' be there for when she came by. As soon as Marinette would come through the door, he would already be there, sorting out his schedule with the receptionist. Normally, he'd have Nathalie do this, but today was an exception. He had several meetings that day but had made sure to reschedule those he had that morning, just in case. He was making sure she had gotten the schedule in a good place when Marinette walked in. Gabriel’s eyes fell on her immediately, the schedule soon forgotten.

She had definitely changed from back when she had been in Adrien's class. He made note that her hair had gotten shorter (just as Ladybug's had) but beyond that mental notation, he couldn't help but notice how much more _mature_ she looked. Yet, she still seemed to have that slightly innocent air about her. It was, admittedly (if he was being honest with himself), a bit _cute_.

No, he needed to stop that train of thought _immediately_. That wasn't going to help anything. He mentally shoved down those thoughts, putting on the stern, emotionless facade he often had as she approached.

Marinette had honestly been expecting to walk up to the receptionist's desk, ask if she was supposed to drop off her portfolio there (or otherwise) and, after dropping it off, hurry out the front door and transform to reach the next company.

Instead, she felt like someone had trapped her feet in ice and left her rooted to the spot.

Gabriel Agreste was _right there!_ He was right there and- oh god, she felt so much less prepared than she had that morning. How could she have expected to be in the presence of the man himself? She should’ve put more work into her makeup! She should’ve worn one of her better designs! She should’ve-!

Despite how desperately she wanted to turn tail and run, Marinette forced herself to walk forward, giving the receptionist and Gabriel a pleasant smile.

"Good morning. I was just wondering where I would drop off my portfolio? I'm interested in an internship here." She tried to keep it so she only asked the woman, but couldn't help herself from glancing at Gabriel out of the corner of her eye.

Even now, he still looked handsome. She had, admittedly, crushed on him in the past. Just an idol crush, really! She admired his designs so much while growing up that the line between admiration and attraction could sometimes get blurred. Just a young girl's ridiculous hormonal thoughts, she was sure. It wasn't like it would ever happen anyway. But if she started working here...

No, _focus!_ Now was not the time to fantasize about him. Not now, not ever. She'd shoved these thoughts down before, she could do it again! Besides, what about her soulmate?

Gabriel could _feel_ just how nervous and flustered she was. My, how _intense_ her emotions could be! He made sure to focus in on how she felt so perhaps he could find her emotional state again later on, perhaps even from a distance if he paid close enough attention. Fighting back the smirk that threatened to break through, he held out his hand for the portfolio before the receptionist could answer Marinette. "I can take it. It will only end up with me by the end of its journey anyway. We'd might as well skip the runaround, yes?"

The receptionist seemed confused, wondering why he wasn't leaving it to his staff to weed out the bad examples. She certainly hoped it would be a good one or the staff might be hearing about it all day.

The only thought running through Marinette's mind in that moment was a repetitive string of 'oh fuck oh fuck oh fu-'. This was her biggest chance, really, lucking out and running into Gabriel when she came to turn in her portfolio. So, she needed to not screw it up!

However, from the few times she had spoken with him in the past (and oh, it was _few_ ), she was more worried that he would take one look at the folder's contents and then chuck it in the trash. He wasn’t exactly the best at sparing people’s feelings, after all, and he’d likely not want to waste time on a reject.

Still, she handed over the portfolio to him, her smile a bit more nervous than before. "Of course, sir. I-I do hope the designs are to your liking. I've put a lot of time, thought, and effort into all of the different styles." For multiple fashion lines of varying themes, but she wasn't going to say that. That might be saying too much and she didn’t want to ramble on like she normally did when she let her nerves get to her. She probably already pushed it as it was, so perhaps now would be time to leave.

"N-now, if you'll excuse me. I-I have a few more stops to make before I have to be in class. I h-hope to hear from you!" It took plenty of effort to try and keep calm when she turned to leave.

There was a slight tug at one side of his mouth, a soft smirk working its way onto Gabriel's features. Oh, this was going to be fun. She was already scared of him. How intriguing!  He definitely found himself looking forward to this. "You seem nervous, Mlle Dupain-Cheng. Do you not have confidence in your designs? If you don't think so, perhaps I shouldn't bother looking at all."

That made her stop in her tracks. It wouldn't do good if someone, especially her idol, thought she had no confidence in her work. Either way, idol or not, his attitude toward it was really aggravating, to say the least.

Before she could even think her actions through, Marinette turned on her heel and walked right back up to Gabriel, meeting his gaze evenly.

"I have the utmost confidence in my work, Monsieur. I have worked on most of these designs for a few years before reaching a point where I would be glad to show them off. Am I nervous? Yes. But it has nothing to do with if I believe my designs are good or not."

She found herself grinning then, placing her hand on her hip. "Perhaps you shouldn't assume the worst before glancing at what I've brought in. For all you know, you might be tossing out something worth your time before even taking a peek."

His smirk still remained, though it grew a little bit wider.

Yes, just as expected. _There_ was the Ladybug shining through. He was growing more and more confident of his theory. Oh, but how would she respond if he kept her here too long, he wondered? If he kept her from getting to the rest of her destinations?

"Who said I assumed the worst? I’m just saying that if you _are_ that confident, why are you in such a rush? I don't have any meetings for another hour. We could look over your designs right now, if you like." And with that, he raised a brow before adding, "Unless, of course,  you're _scared_."

She still wasn't thinking, still wasn't stopping to consider that maybe she should find a way to stop the conversation now and hurry along. At this rate, she would only reach three other companies, even as Ladybug, and just barely get to class on time.

"I'm not scared! Yes, your company is the top on my list for places I would want an internship, but there are others that I could benefit learning from! I have to drop off my other copies there before heading to class!"

Marinette was itching to prove him wrong, to show that she was confident, brave, and willing to face whatever else he was about to throw at her, her own schedule be damned!

"So, let me get this straight. You're not scared about if I'll like your portfolio or not, yet you still think you need to drop it off at other companies? Hmmm..." He turned to his receptionist, "Does that make you feel confident with her designs, Renee?" The receptionist was quick to shake her head, just hoping that was the response he wanted. When he glanced back at Marinette, seemingly satisfied with that answer, the receptionist let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"That's too bad. And here I thought this young lady really had it in her. I suppose not." He placed the folder down on the desk, leaving Renee nervous again. How long was this going to go on? "And here I was thinking we might have found an intern that wouldn't be as boring as the ones we've had in the past few years. It really is a shame."

" _Excuse_ me?!"

That was it, the moment Marinette lost any sort of cool she had. She snatched the folder from the desk, flipping it open to one of her designs (one of several with a spring lolita theme, to be exact. . . And one of her first actual lolita dresses that she was currently working on back home).

A proud smirk appeared on her lips then as she showed the design to Gabriel.

"I'm sure this won't be a disappointment, Monsieur. And I've got an even bigger variety of styles and themes just waiting to be seen. Yes, I plan to go to other companies, but that's merely to ensure I can get a start SOMEWHERE. All I really needed was someone to bother with looking at my work."

God, this was just so fun. Gabriel couldn't help but chuckle then, taking the folder from her hands and flipping through the examples. She really did seem to be capable of coming up with a broad range of designs. Just as he expected, her work was exquisite. Once he reached the sketches, he was certain it was her. The style was the exact same from last night, down to the thickness of her lines.

He closed the portfolio, looking her over once more before nodding. "You've improved a lot since that bowler hat contest, Mademoiselle. I want you here by 6am tomorrow, sharp. Do not be late."

Wait, what?

Marinette stared at him, mouth slightly open in surprise. He wanted her back here at six am?

Did she just land herself the internship by _arguing?!_

A bright blush took over her cheeks, mouth shutting with an audible click from her teeth. "Yes, of course. I won't be late!"

Nodding to him once (and giving a small smile to the poor receptionist, Renee, for having to endure that spectacle), Marinette walked as calmly as she could out of the building, bewildered and wondering if she had even woken up at all.

It wasn’t until she had already walked a good ways toward school that she suddenly realized something that she couldn’t believe she’d missed during that exchange.

He _remembered_ her! He’d spoken to her _by name_ and even mentioned the bowler hat! How could she have missed that?! Oh god, how mortifying! Gabriel Agreste not only was there in person but _recognized_ her even after all this time and she’d gotten _snappy_ with him!

Guhh, how in the world did that end well for her? That was the worst way she could have acted!

This was going to be the most awkward internship ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And our two idiots finally got a face-to-face meeting! They're a match made in heaven, right? Or maybe hell, lol. That poor receptionist will never get a break now. Oh boy. She thought it was scary before! Either way, we look forward to sharing more of their interactions soon! 
> 
> Thanks for all of the support and wonderful comments, guys! It means a ton to us! We expected so much more backlash for this fic because of the ship and yet we've gotten none thus far. Thank you so, so much!


	6. Chapter 6

_ “Even if they may be your soulmate, they won’t always have your best interests in mind, Little Red,” her parents would say. “Sometimes, it could be the wrong time and they haven’t grown enough to treat you right. Sometimes, they could want to hurt you because the system isn’t perfect and may link you to the wrong person. Sometimes, they may not even really be your soulmate and could be someone who stole your soulmate’s journal. You should always be wary and cautious! Never stray from the path, Little Red. Do you understand?” _

_ *** _

_ ‘Little Red, little Red, are you sure you won’t come and visit me? We’ve been talking for so long, and my house is just on a path not far from the one you take to your grandmother’s.’ _

_ Red sighed as she watched the words appear on the page, a faint smile tugging at her lips. Maybe it was time she went to go see her soulmate. After all, he had a point. They had been talking for a long time, long enough that she had felt comfortable enough to share her name and let them know when she’d go and visit her grandmother’s house. But she also knew her family’s warnings about straying from the path. _

_ Wolves and other beasts lurked among the trees that made up the outskirts of her village. She never understood why her grandmother chose to live out there, either. Now she didn’t understand why her own soulmate lived in the forest, when he could easily come and meet her himself. Was he just nervous? _

_ ‘You know I can’t stray from the path. If I do, then Mother and Father will be upset, and Grandmother will wonder why it has taken me so long to visit,’ she wrote back, glancing up to ensure that yes, she was still on the right path. _

_ She failed to notice the gleaming yellow eyes watching her from a distance though, hungry and eager. _

_ ‘But if you follow my instructions, little Red, then not only will you be able to visit me for a moment, but I can promise that you’ll be back on the path to your grandmother’s in no time. Honest. I have no reason to lie to my soulmate.’ _

_ Red stopped for a moment, considering his words. It was true, in a sense. Soulmates had no reason to lie to one another. And she had been pushing back this whole thing for a long while. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad of an idea to see him, even for just a moment. Perhaps she could even bring him with her to Grandmother’s! _

_ ‘Tell me where to go then, please.’ _

_ ‘Wonderful. Now, pay close attention, little Red.’ _

_ *** _

_ And so, Red Riding Hood followed the path written out for her by her soulmate. Beyond the field of flowers, past the old elm trees, and over a bubbling stream that she never knew existed this deep in the wood. She followed these instructions until she approached an old cottage, similar in appearance to her grandmother’s own. _

_ Red approached the door, lightly knocking upon it and stepping back in surprise when it gave way beneath her hand, creaking open, as if it hadn’t been used in a while. Not an uncommon thing with old houses, but she certainly hadn’t counted on it being unlocked. Was she in the right place? _

_ “Hello? Is. . . Is anyone home?” She stepped inside, glancing around. “I. . . I-I hope I’m not intruding. I was told how to come here by my. . . S-soulmate. . .” _

_ There, in the corner, stood a figure a good two or so feet taller than her. Yellow eyes pierced through the shadows. Could that be. . . ? _

_ “A-are you him? Are you my soulmate?” _

_ “Perhaps I am,” he said, his eyes never once straying from her. _

_ “I never thought that. . . That my soulmate would have such big eyes,” Red said, taking a step further into the cottage. _

_ “The better to see you with, little Red.” This time when he spoke, she caught a faint glimpse of something sharp in his mouth. Maybe her eyes were just playing tricks on her. And yet. . . _

_ “Nor did I expect him to have such big teeth.” _

_ The figure chuckled, a deep sound that sent a chill down Red’s spine. _

_ “You know, you should really listen to your parents, little Red,” the figure said, stepping from the shadows and into the dim light filtering in through broken windows. _

_ She took a step back when she registered the ears on top of his head, the tail swishing behind him- _

_ -and the fangs gleaming from a grinning mouth. _

_ Red turned to run back out the door, but the Wolf was upon her in an instant. She couldn’t even let out a scream as fangs dug into her shoulder, tearing through her red cloak. _

_ Had she not strayed from the path and ignored the warnings, then perhaps she would have seen all the signs. Instead, Little Red would never visit the warmth of her grandmother’s cottage ever again. _

\- Little Red Riding Hood, written 1812

***

Marinette had time to kill before class, so she fished out her journal, hurriedly writing inside. 

_ ‘I made a complete and utter fool of myself and I desperately hope you didn't witness it. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you spared yourself a sorry sight.' _

***

Gabriel, of course, had left his journal in his office for safe-keeping. As soon as he'd finished rearranging his schedule, however, the man was rushing to get back to said office. It was only an office at the official building, much preferring his office at home, so it was very bare. The journal had been locked in a desk drawer alongside a certain kwami. 

When he got back to the office and unlocked the drawer, Nooroo was quick to look up at his master from within. There was a look in the kwami's eyes akin to curiosity and perhaps even a bit of excitement. Gabriel hadn't seen him this intrigued by something in years. "She's been writing again."

"Of course, I had a feeling she would." Gabriel chuckled again as he tugged out the book, the kwami soon flying up to settle on his shoulder. 

_ 'Does that mean you didn't get your portfolio turned in this morning?' _

***

_ 'No, no, I got it turned in on time.' _

Marinette sighed, taking a seat on a nearby bench. She practically got into a verbal sparring match with Gabriel Agreste and instead of being kicked out of the building, she had instead landed herself the internship she so desperately wanted, and at her choice company!

_ 'I sort of. . . Got riled up by Gabriel Agreste. . . I wasn't even expecting him to be there!' _

***

He chuckled to himself, taking a glance at Nooroo. "I left a lasting impression, I see."

"You have a way of doing that, master." Whether that was good or bad, though, Nooroo wasn't going to say. 

_ 'I hope you didn't make him an enemy. That wouldn't be good for you at all in this industry.' _

***

_ 'I don't think I made him my enemy? I mean, yeah, I got into a bit of a fight with him?'  _ Could that have even counted as a fight? God, she didn't know.  _ 'I know I probably freaked out that poor receptionist.' _

But he never once seemed to be displeased with her. It was like. . . he was  _ testing _ her.  Had he been trying to get her to show confidence in her work? Was he trying to see if she was cut out for this?

Even if he wasn't doing that, it still got her to where she was now. That was good, right?

_ 'I got the internship though.' _

***

He thought back on just how many people had been within enough distance to see her, wondering if she was even paying attention enough to notice anyone looking at her. The likelihood is that she wasn't, but he also had some other people he could play it off on if needed. 

_ 'Oh, were you perhaps the girl in the grey cardigan?' _

***

Wait.

She nearly slammed the journal closed, heart hammering in her chest. Oh god, he  _ saw _ her! Not only did he see her, he saw her get into that verbal fight with Gabriel Agreste! She hadn't even bothered to look around to see who else was there, having been so thrown off kilter by the head of the company taking her portfolio personally and, well, everything else. 

_ 'Yeah, that was me. Which means you saw me make a total fool of myself. I'm so sorry you had to bear witness to that.' _

***

Yeah, he certainly bore witness to it. With another chuckle, he began to write back a response. 

_ 'Actually, I thought it was cute. Not many will stand up to Gabriel Agreste. He's a tough one to swallow.' _

He wanted to see if he could fluster her with some bad wording. If she was easily flustered by that kind of teasing, then he was going to find this all too fun. There were so many ways he could make this task enjoyable, despite his end game intentions, and he planned to make it as interesting as possible. After all, if he let it get boring, he might try to rush things. That probably wouldn't end the way he wanted. He needed to keep that from happening. 

***

Marinette wanted to scream, wondering if she should blame nerves or lack of sleep or  _ something  _ on the thoughts her mind went to. No, bad brain, bad! Her blush from earlier darkened significantly, and she wished for this to stop.

This morning's events were something she honestly wished her soulmate would have never seen. Heard of? Maybe. Actually witnessed? That was mortifying! His opinion of her might be lower now or something!

_ 'I'm about to be late for class, I'll talk to you after that!' _ Class didn't start for another thirty minutes, but she wanted to go and bury her head under her seat instead of continue this conversation.

***

Gabriel had a feeling that was just an excuse (especially with the waves of embarrassment he felt from her when he concentrated enough),  but he let it go, deciding it was about time he gave her a break. 

Maybe. 

He still had some time before his first meeting, though. It would be a shame to waste it. He instead decided to start drawing again, this time with a different focus. 

***

Marinette was never on time for class, even when she would transform into Ladybug JUST to ensure she'd get there no problem.

Today, she was not only on time, but early, much to the shock of several classmates that were still lingering outside of the room, waiting for their instructor to let them in.

The entire way to campus though, she had to listen to the sounds of someone writing or drawing or  _ something _ coming from the journal. Knowing she had to keep some form of cover (and keep too many questions from being asked of her just yet), she opened the journal once seated, intending to ask her soulmate to stop for maybe an hour, only to stare at what was on the page.

Her face. That was  _ her _ face! The sketch on the page before her was far more detailed than she'd expect from a brief meeting, let alone from something drawn that quickly. He'd gotten her hair right, the details of her eyes, the earrings in her ears, everything down to the very cardigan he'd referred to. 

_ 'What is' _

Okay. She couldn't even finish writing what she wanted to. Today seemed like it was 'Throw Marinette Off' Day.

***

Throwing Marinette off really was a good pastime. He found it more enjoyable than he probably should. The fact that she couldn't even finish a  _ written _ question was hilarious in and of itself, but that didn't stop him from adding details to the portrait he was drawing of her. He'd focused on how she looked when worked up, honestly finding that to be the more attractive of her expressions he'd seen so far.  He just couldn't help but love the way her lips had been shaped, that fire in her eyes, the way her nose had flared up ever so slightly…

If they weren't enemies, she'd make such a lovely muse. 

***

She couldn't look away from the picture, watching an unseen hand sketch it and add details to her own features.

How close had the been? How had she not noticed him?

Marinette swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat, torn between further embarrassment and. . . Was it  _ pride _ or some other emotion she felt, seeing her soulmate draw her?  Had she really been that inspiring, even while that worked up? It felt. . . Well, it felt nice, if she was being honest. 

_ 'Not fair,' _ she finally managed to write, keeping her words a fair distance from the sketch.  _ 'I can't draw you in return.' _

***

Gabriel chuckled, lightly rubbing the eraser against his lips. He didn't plan for her to know who he was for a while. However, perhaps there was a way to play around with her curiosity?

_ 'I have an idea.' _

Now, how to word this? Hmm... Gabriel found himself glancing over at various items in the office, wondering what he should use as motivation. After a moment, though, he came to what he felt was a good conclusion. 

_ 'Any time you impress me, I'll give you another detail about who I am.' _

***

There was a part of her that just wanted to demand he tell her his identity, but there was another part of her that was too intrigued by his mystery. That really shouldn't be something she found attractive, but she did. Figuring him out? It felt like a game, really. A game she found herself  _ wanting _ to play.  

_ 'And how shall I impress you then?' _

It sounded like a challenge, one that was probably going to cause her to crash and burn. But she enjoyed taking on challenges, and if they were going to use this as a way for her to gain details about her soulmate, she would find a way to win no matter what. 

As she waited for a response, and more of her classmates filtered into the room, she began yet another sketch (a ballroom dress, one that she was actually going to make and present in class one day if she could). If he was going to impress her with his art, maybe she could do the same in return. 

***

_ 'I'll just tell you a fact about myself whenever you do. I'm not easy to impress, but you impressed me today. So I'll give you some info to nibble on.’ _

He began to think about some details that could apply to more people than just him in the company.  He couldn't exactly give himself away easily, after all. He needed to drag this out for as long as possible. After a few moments, he finally decided on a detail that was far too common to really give anything away. 

_ 'I have blue eyes.' _

***

Blue eyes.

Well if that wasn't the vaguest, stupidest, absolute piece of-!

Marinette couldn't even finish her thought as her class instructor walked into the room and over to her desk. Crap. She very well couldn't use the journal as a way to pretend she was taking notes, and she was certain that not paying attention to her class would be anything BUT impressive.

_ 'Blue eyes. Okay. Look, my class is actually starting now. I have to go.' _

Marinette then closed the journal and slid it into her bag, pulling out her notebook for class. After this she was going to have to meet up with Alya. Since she hadn't talked to her friend since getting her journal, that meant a conversation she was suddenly  _ much _ more nervous about than before.

Oh god, how was she going to explain this?

***

Gabriel could feel the irritation radiating off the pages. With a chuckle, he decided to stop teasing for now and get to the first meeting of the day.

The thought of how else to tease her helped him through the irritation of dealing with his clients much more splendidly than he thought. Many wouldn't be able to catch on, but those select few who knew him far too well could tell something was different from normal. He seemed almost  _ happy _ . 

Almost.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hi again. Well, you know how I plan to get started in art? I’ve run into one glaring flaw in my plan:_

_I’m not exactly a people person._

_I don’t really know what to do. I’ve always been the non-social one, you know? You probably won’t get that impression with how I can ramble on in here, but writing is different from actually interacting with someone face to face. I just never was good at it. It seemed pointless before because I just prefer my alone time and people can be distracting when I’m trying to draw or study. I’d rather keep to myself and enjoy my quiet time._

_But in order to be successful, you have to sell yourself, not just your product. People have to like you too. Since I’m not the social type, you can imagine why I would have trouble with this part. I could make some of the best art out there but if I can’t tell people about it and present myself nicely then it won’t do any good. People are more likely to buy from someone they enjoy talking to, right? I mean, I know there’s some real dicks in business but someone had to like them when they were first getting started, right?_

_I don’t know how people do it. I really just want to draw and hone my skills rather than concentrate on this side of things, but I know it’s important. I can’t get a ton of commissions if it’s only the few friends I’ve actually made paying attention to my art. I have to advertise my work somehow._

_Some people do it so easily. They are usually people I wouldn’t truly enjoy being around either, often loud and obnoxious. Yet, people like them for some reason. I just don’t understand, really. Wouldn’t they get annoyed after a while too?_

_Like that ‘rockstar’ who goes to class with his guitar in hand and making an ass of himself every day. He’s not even entirely fluent in French and yet everyone just gravitates toward him. He has such a terrible sense of style too. I wonder if he even takes a shower regularly or not, but none of that deters people from going up and wanting to talk with him. He even already has shows he does at some of the local venues despite his music being all but horrid._

_I make sure to shower every day and keep myself clean and proper. I style my hair as perfectly as I can every day. I pick out clothes that are in style yet conservative enough to still look somewhat professional. I present myself far better than he does and with a lot more effort put into it, I’m sure. Yet, very seldom will someone come over to check out what I’m doing while they all flock to him. I don’t get it at all._

_I don’t want to, but maybe talking with him and seeing what all he does normally would help? Maybe I could learn something from him? If a guy like that can sell his craft and actually get people to like him, then there must be something he’s doing that I’m not._

_I have to do something. I can take all the classes in the world but if I don’t know how to sell myself and my product to other people then I won’t make it far at all._

_The last thing I’ll allow myself to be is a failure._

***

She barely ever found it hard to concentrate in class but after the events of the past two days all she could think about was sneaking out the damn journal to write in it. She forced herself to go through the motions and not pull it out. As soon as class ended, she made her way to the cafe she was supposed to meet Alya at. Normally she would be arriving late, but it seemed like she was early this time.  
Taking that chance, Marinette sat down and pulled out the journal. It was going to be hard to keep an eye out for Alya if she was writing, but she'd deal with that later.

_'I blame you for making class difficult on me this morning.'_

There was a few moments before he responded, but eventually words were sprawling across the paper once more.

_'Whatever for? I made sure not to make a peep the entire time.'_

_'I just wanted to write to you. But I had my class, and you have. . . Whatever it is you do at your job. And I still have classes and oh god, I have an internship now. Do most people have problems just functioning normally after getting these journals?'_

There was a bit of hesitation before he finally responded. _'When I received my journal, I wrote in it constantly, even though no one wrote back. I was even writing in it for years after the fact. Yes, you could say it makes functioning normally harder.'_

Oh. Right. He had pages upon pages that practically detailed his life. She just wished it didn’t omit things like names and appearances, so maybe she could narrow things down from their past entries.

All she had to go off of was blue eyes. But that was a lot of people.

_'I'm sorry, I made a comment without actually thinking first. I'm probably all scatterbrained right now after this morning, and I have to be meeting with a friend soon and she's going to be asking about who my journal is connected to!'_

And if Alya's investigation skills had gotten any better, then it wouldn't be hard for her to realize that Marinette's soulmate was not Adrien. Actually, it probably wouldn’t take much skill in that area to figure that out, if she was being honest with herself.

_'Please don't let her read too much. I'd prefer if you figured out who I am on your own. No unfair advantages, young lady.'_

_'I refuse any sort of advantage. After all, I turned down the advantage you offered for getting me into the fashion industry. Wouldn't that make it easier for me to slowly figure out who you are if I had accepted that? I could have been interning for you directly for all I knew.'_

***

She was simultaneously very clever and very oblivious. It really was an interesting situation to see her in, he had to admit. It opened her up to so much teasing, so much so that it was pretty easy, really. This was just far too fun. He wondered how to make this better. _Ah_ , there was _one_ way.

_'You know, I think I should have a nickname for you. Perhaps 'my lady?''_

***

Oh god, why? Not _that_ . Any nickname but _that!_

Still, a nickname for her? Well, she certainly wouldn't be opposed to that. Nicknames tended to be-

. . .

Was there a blush permanently on her face? Was she never allowed to be her normal skin tone again?

_'I. . . I already have someone who calls me 'my lady', but I don't really care to be called that. Perhaps you could call me something else?'_

***

He smirked, taking mental note of the response. After all, it only pointed to his theory being right. She seemed more and more likely to be Ladybug by the second.

But then why would she be his soulmate?

He rubbed the pencil eraser against his lips again, running various thoughts through his head. Could they maybe be soulmates in a different context? Bound to fighting each other through eternity? It didn't seem too terribly far-fetched, even if a bit odd. Hadn’t there been occurrences of such soulmates in the past? People whose souls were bound due to hatred instead of love?

Yes, perhaps that was it. It would make sense why he would fall in love without his journal as well. With that theory in mind, he continued.

_'Okay, what kinds of nicknames would you want?'_

***

She felt lucky that no one was staring at her as she wrote in her journal (though a fair amount of people around her age were doing the same thing). She felt far too flustered now to possibly not be blushing.

As for nicknames. . . Damn, outside of all of the names that Chat would call her (including 'princess') there weren't any that she had some sort of preference to. This was just embarrassing! She couldn’t even think up a nickname for herself!

_'I'm sorry, I don't really have any to suggest, or any sort of preference. There’s this one guy that has a bunch of dumb nicknames for me that I would rather not repeat.'_

***

  
_'Not the biggest fan of this guy, hm?'_ Oh, that would be gold to use if his hunch turned out correct. She was likely referring to her partner, after all. A partner he knew all too well.

***

_'He's a good friend! He's just used to calling me these nicknames now. We've known each other for several years.'_

Chat was a nice guy and all and he could be cute at times (as well as endearing) but she just wasn’t interested in him that way. It made her feel bad at times, knowing how he felt about her, but she couldn’t force it from her end, and if she tried it wouldn’t be fair to him either. Still, she couldn’t get herself to ask him to call her anything different. By this point, it was just what Chat called her and she was used to it.

***

_'Well, I don't know what to call you then. Perhaps 'baby girl'? Though, I'm not sure what to do that isn't playing around with your age.'_

He was thoughtful for another moment before chuckling.

_'Or maybe 'firecracker'? You were fiesty this morning. Or ‘Ladybug’ because she’s definitely a fiesty one too.'_

***

When her soulmate wrote down the words 'baby girl' she nearly slammed the journal shut once more. It wasn't as if she didn't _like_ the nickname, and she wouldn’t have even considered it as a sort of reference to the age difference between them if he hadn’t mentioned it as such.

Maybe she would prefer to hear his voice when he said it though, not read it and try to imagine what he sounded like.

 _'Oh, god, I wonder if there is a way to erase this morning from people’s memories.'_ He was going to tease her about that forever, wasn’t he? _'If you called me Ladybug, I would feel a bit, I dunno, awkward? I don't know if I'd want to have the same name as our city's hero. Firecracker might be okay...'_

_'Don't want to have the same name as our superhero? Then maybe you should be my 'lovely little butterfly'?'_

His. . . Lovely little butterfly?

She wanted to say something about how it would be a bit weird to have a nickname based around something that the city now feared. After all, Hawkmoth had corrupted everyone’s outlook on butterflies so extremely that many didn’t even want a normal butterfly nearby them, often shooing them away like one would a fly or wasp. The city had begun to treat them like pests or something to be feared rather than the peaceful insect they thought of it as before Hawkmoth’s reign of terror started.

Before she could do any of that, however, Alya appeared.

She couldn't even write that she'd talk to him later.

"Hey, girl! Sorry I'm late, the professor held us over. He's an ass, though, so whatever." Alya suddenly flopped down beside her. "Sooooo someone got their journal finally!" She teased, beginning to try and peer over her shoulder.

"Alya!" Marinette was quick to close her journal and tuck it away in her bag, not at all wanting her best friend to try and deduce on her own who the other writer was, especially so quickly. "Damn, he held you over again? What, did someone turn in a ridiculous topic or something and he had to lecture everyone about it?"

"Something like that. Hey, why you putting away the book?" Alya began to reach for Marinette's bag. "Is someone _embarrassed?_ "

"Me? Embarrassed? Uh, no, of course not! M-maybe I just want to keep some stuff private for now? I mean. I only JUST started talking to them, so..."

Oh boy. This was going to be a fun get together, wasn't it?

"Why would you need to keep it private this early on? Don't tell me my girl puts out on the first date!" Alya teased, still reaching for the bag.

"Alya, it's not that!" Marinette moved her bag out of her friend's reach, resigning to her fate of having a permanent blush upon her cheeks. Oh well, less makeup to use then? "It's just. . . They want to keep things private is all." And she still didn't know much about him outside of him being into fashion, that he worked at Gabriel Agreste's company, and his eyes were blue. Either way, it was time for a subject change.

"H-hey, guess who uh, guess who got herself an internship!"

Alya stilled in her attempts to grab the journal, blinking for a moment before gasping with excitement. "Oh my god! You did? Where at?"

When Alya seemed to catch onto the topic change, Marinette nearly let out a sigh of relief. Instead, she worked on a smile to keep from having"Yeah. I got one at Gabriel Agreste's company, and I start tomorrow!"

"At _Gabriel?_ Oh my _god_ , girl! That was your dream one, wasn't it? I'm so happy for you!" Alya had her arms around Marinette in a heartbeat.  "You _have_ to tell me all about it! I want _alllll_ the deets, okay?"

Marinette couldn't help but laugh, already picturing Alya's reaction to just _how_ she got the internship.

"I went to turn in my portfolio this morning, and I was going to go to a few other places before class, but. . ." She launched into the story from that morning, how she got riled up by Gabriel and how it caused her to not only show off her work like a prideful asshole, but also landed her the internship then and there.

"And. . . my soulmate saw the whole thing."

"Oh, _wow_ . You're crazy, Marinette. So you're _soulmate_ was at the Gabriel office when it happened?" She poked at Marinette's shoulder. "I bet it's Adrien. It's _gotta_ be."

That made Marinette look a bit. . . well, ‘lost’ wasn't the right word. Perhaps more disappointed? She shook her head, glancing at her bag.

"If it was Adrien, then he would have said something when we first started writing. But it's not. I don't know who it is." She didn't mention the past entries though, or that she and her soulmate had a significant age gap.

"He could just be shy, you know? I mean, from what I've seen, he's not exactly got much experience outside of Chloe being an obnoxious flirt. Or maybe you scared him by standing up to his dad." Alya chuckled. "That's pretty impressive, let's be real. I mean, how many people even consider standing up to that ass? That probably made your soulmate weak at the knees, especially if that soulmate is Adrien." Her last sentence was accompanied by an encouraging wink.

If _only_ it was Adrien. No, she got someone who enjoyed teasing her. However, he also pushed her to ensure that she could get started somewhere for her profession. Adrien could be encouraging but she wasn’t sure if he’d particularly push her in the same way. Granted, she didn’t see him as often anymore so maybe he would now? Either way, it didn’t matter. She shouldn’t compare them as much as she was. She could do a lot on her own without the encouragement, too, so what did it really matter? It wasn't like this was the first time she’d stood up to Gabriel, after all.

Deciding to humor her friend, she shrugged and said, "I guess. Hopefully I can figure it out soon though." She was curious to find out who he was, she had to admit, but she wasn’t going to push him quite yet. She wanted him to be comfortable with revealing himself.

After all, she wanted to be comfortable with revealing herself too. She had a _lot_ more to reveal, she was sure.

Alya was quiet for a moment before she started chuckling to herself, obviously finding something funny but not letting Marinette in on whatever the joke was.

"Okay, what did I say this time?" She wanted to know what was funny! Were people staring at them? Was her soulmate writing? She couldn't hear the tell tale sound of a pen against paper, though, so surely it wasn’t that. "Come on, Alya, tell me!"

"I just thought about how funny it would be if it was Gabriel himself. Not that I really think so, because the universe can't be _that_ cruel, but it’s just so... _pffft_ . Can you _imagine?_ "

Marinette silently welcomed back the blush that seemed to be slowly making a permanent home upon her features, this time feeling the heat creep up to the tips of her ears.

Okay, maybe before she met Adrien, she had a crush on Gabriel. Maybe once upon a time, she entertained the thought of being his soulmate (if she had been born around the time he was, of course). It was just an idol crush, though. She just admired his work and confused her feelings with love! That was all it was!

Right?

It didn’t matter, though. She had no clue who her soulmate was. Gabriel didn’t seem the type to be as teasing as her soulmate was anyway. He always seemed so stoic, collected, and non-social. Would a man like that really act like her soulmate did? Her soulmate seemed more humorous and, well, _talkative_.

Marinette found herself laughing, quickly shaking her head. "That's insane! If he was my soulmate, he would have most likely ignored me writing in the journal! Besides, wasn't his wife his soulmate?"

Alya laughed again. "Don't tell me you're actually considering it? Don't be silly." She sat back in her chair, watching the people pass by idly. "I don't know. I mean, I haven't exactly looked into it. He’s _your_ idol, not mine. Shouldn’t _you_ know?"

"I mean, there were rumors that they weren't. But they were also obviously in love. And no, I'm not _considering_ it, Alya! Don't be silly." Marinette leaned back in her seat as well, glancing out the window.

". . . Do you know if soulmates can be years apart though?"

Alya blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, yeah, but if you at all think your soulmate is as old as _that_ dinosaur, I'd get your head checked. I highly doubt you'll have to deal with that mess. It's not like it happens often. Hell, half of the stories you hear are of stolen journals, after all. Why do you think they wait so long to give them to us? Weren't you paying attention in history?"

Marinette shook her head, never once letting her gaze stray from the window. Her soulmate was out there, somewhere. . . Could they actually have that large of a gap that didn't involve a stolen journal?She wasn’t sure which possibility she preferred by this point. Would she want her soulmate to be this guy despite the age gap? Or would she want to find out the journal wasn’t actually in her soulmate’s hands and she instead had some form of choice in the matter of who to get with? "I paid attention, don't worry. I just. . . I dunno."

".... You've been acting off this entire time. Are you okay?"

Marinette was quiet for a moment before she let her next words escape her. ". . . My soulmate has blue eyes. Adrien has green eyes." She finally looked back at Alya. "They're in the fashion business, they work at Gabriel. . . And that's all I know about them." She purposefully chose to keep his gender ambiguous, hoping to not make it as easy for her friend to figure out. She didn’t need Alya snooping around too much, knowing it could make her soulmate uncomfortable and possibly mess up her chances in gaining his trust.

"Well, I wouldn't jump to conclusions. There's plenty of people who have blue eyes. I'm sure there's plenty who work there too. Do you even know who they are?"

"I don't know. I. . . I don't know anything about them, outside of what I just said." Such a lie. She had read his entire life story in the journal. He didn't even have to humor her by writing back, He could have let her suffer the silence and make her wonder if he was dead. "But if I impress them, I can learn more."

"How much do they know about you? Because if you have to prove yourself to them in order to learn things about them, then I certainly hope they don't already have all of your info."

"I mean. . . They know what I look like? They saw me when I turned in my portfolio, Alya! And besides, I haven't told them much about myself! Plus it's not proving myself, it's _impressing_ them, and I impressed them today."

Alya raised an eyebrow. "Um, Marinette, don't you think that's a bit unfair?"

Marinette shrugged, tapping her fingers on the table. "I mean, I wasn't paying attention to the people there. Well, okay, maybe it's a bit unfair, but whoever they are, they could have just ignored me, could have. . . Could have just let me think my soulmate ditched me."

Alya sighed, knowing she was never quite the best at talking Marinette out of her various stubborn mindsets. "Okay, but if this goes on too long, you don't have to stick with whoever is your soulmate. There's no need to keep you in the dark."

"I'm gonna find out who they are, Alya. Don't worry. It's going to be fine." It just meant a lot of research on her part and hoping she didn't pick the wrong person. She needed more details to narrow it down. She just needed to figure out just what would impress him to get enough details to make educated guesses on his identity.

Alya got up, looking down at her watch. "Well, I gotta get to my next class. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Alright. I'll send you a text later." Marinette took a look at her own watch, thankful that she didn't have class for a bit longer. As soon as Alya was out of sight, she pulled the journal from her backpack to quickly write, _'Sorry. My friend showed up.'_

 _'I figured as much.'_ His reply came later, a few minutes passing before he'd noticed she'd written back. _'You didn't answer my question, you know.'_

His question? _Oh_ , the nickname! But. . . How was she supposed to answer that? Well, it wasn't like they would say it in public, so no one could give either of them a dirty look.

Yet, it was still hard to picture herself being called that. She was Ladybug, how could she be someone's lovely little _butterfly?_

_'It's not a bad nickname. I just...With Hawkmoth still running around, it might not be best?'_

***

She was obviously hesitant. Of course, that could apply to anyone, if Gabriel was being realistic. It wasn’t necessarily a clue to her being Ladybug. However, while he _could_ let this go, he couldn’t help but see if he could actually get his _Ladybug suspect_ , of all people, to allow him to call her his _butterfly_ . It would honestly make his day if he succeeded. _'I always found butterflies to be beautiful, Hawkmoth or no Hawkmoth. But if you are truly uncomfortable with it, then 'firecracker' just might have to do.'_

***

She was stupid to have hesitated. Butterflies were never a sign of evil before Hawkmoth, after all, and there was someone who still viewed them as something beautiful, not fearful. That was something to be encouraged, wasn’t it? People were treating butterflies like pests instead of the lovely creatures they actually were and that really wasn’t fair. She was the one who purified them, shouldn’t she still see their beauty even if others didn’t?

_'Perhaps it's time to think of butterflies as something to love again. Maybe that's how we start, too. With a nickname.'_

***

Oh, this was just _pure gold!_ Could he really make this happen? Could he _really_ have the chance to give Ladybug a butterfly-themed pet name? That would be priceless! Gabriel couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he continued writing.

 _'Only if you're okay with it. I wouldn't want to pressure you.'_ He had to lay it on thick. She was bound to say yes after _this_.

***

_'You know, I never said I wasn't okay with it. It'll take some getting used to, sure, but, I can be your butterfly.'_

Oh god, why did she write it like that? Did that even sound okay? Oh god, oh god, this was a mistake wasn't it? Just one big mistake. Not a bad one, sure, but- oh who was she kidding? Her soulmate was probably laughing right now for all she knew.

***

With another chuckle, Gabriel glanced around at the work he had left for the day, making sure to grab some paperwork to look over between exchanges with the girl. He couldn't let this affect his work. Still, it was very distracting in a way he hadn’t dealt with in a long time. A distraction he actually enjoyed.

He’d gotten to a point where he craved work more than he craved down time. He was all about his work and his mission to bring back his wife. Back and forth, back and forth. That was all he focused on in his life.

Now, while his focus with the journal was still linked to _both_ of those aspects of his life, it was a focus that felt….different. It wasn’t serious nor frustrating and he found he didn’t quite mind putting his work on hold for a bit for it. After all, he was far ahead of schedule, as always.

Perhaps he should finally allow himself some actual _fun_ between all the work. So many people had been telling him to for years, after all. It couldn’t hurt too much, could it?

_'Then it's settled. You're my lovely butterfly.'_

***

She smiled at that. Actually smiled at that. His lovely butterfly. . . It definitely seemed like a name she could get used to being called, and it was a change from the names she was used to hearing. Yeah, she was sure she could get used to it. After all, if he could see the beauty in butterflies, then she could too.

Glancing at the time again, she groaned, wishing she didn't have to go to a day full of classes. Oh well. There was always tomorrow, right? She'd be starting her internship and maybe she could find an opportunity to impress him again.

_'I have to go. Classes. I wish I could just stay and talk more though.'_

***

_'I wish you could, too, but I understand. I have work I should be doing myself. Have a good rest of your day, butterfly.'_

Yes, this was off to a good start. While Gabriel felt a bit saddened that it stopped as soon as he was starting to truly enjoy himself, it was likely for the best. He did, after all, have a decent amount of work stacked up on his desk. Still, he looked forward to seeing how the rest of this would go.

So, he kept the journal nearby, finding himself listening in closely as he worked, just in case she decided to continue the conversation.

After all, he found he didn’t mind the thought of having his work interrupted again to play his little game.


	8. Chapter 8

_ Studies over the past few decades have revealed interesting facts about soulmates and the kind of people they end up being. _

_ Not all soulmates have been romantic. _

_ While it is expected for soulmates to be inherently romantic in nature, there have been reports of soulmates being romantic, platonic or, very rarely, antagonistic. With these findings, it casts more question on the still unproven auras that soulmates supposedly have that connects them. How does one determine if the aura is romantic, platonic, or antagonistic? How does one even prove that the legends about the auras are even true? _

_ Other reports have even uncovered information on some journals being connected to more than one person. _

_ This, unfortunately, casts doubt upon the system as a whole. The entire case of platonic, romantic, or antagonistic opens up thieves and other lawbreakers to use as a loophole for why they would have acted the way they did with their use of the journal. _

_ The ones in charge of connecting the journals have been unavailable during these studies to give their own opinion on the matter. There is still no information either on how they are connecting these journals and how they determine the connection of soulmates. _

***

A month went by. One very long, very trying, and very  _ exhausting _ month.

Marinette thought she had enough on her plate with going to university and being Ladybug. Patrols and battling Hawkmoth's akumas was no easy task to mix in with her class schedule after all. But then you add in that she got an internship, and it just got worse.

Her workload (for an intern) was  _ huge _ , and she tried her damn hardest to get all of it and any other tasks she was assigned done within the work day.

She had just been having a conversation with her soulmate when Tikki had reminded her it was her turn for a solo patrol that night. Which, of course, meant she was currently sitting on a rooftop, watching the sky fade from blue to orange as it became twilight, writing in her journal.

_ 'I'm absolutely beat. I really don't know how I manage to last most days now.' _

***

He had contemplated not bringing his journal with him. He was standing in his lair, welcoming the quiet after a long day. The way the light of the moon filtered into his window combined with the noise cancelling structures he'd installed just had a way of relaxing him. He still waited to feel any emotions he could use in the city, but he could allow himself to just experience his own for now.   
When he heard the scratching sounds of pencil against paper, Hawkmoth picked up the journal, opening up to the page they'd left off at. Ah, yes, good, she was starting to truly feel the weight of everything. Everything was going according to plan.

_ 'You must have a heavy workload, huh?' _

***

_ 'Yes! Go get this fabric, go stitch that, ensure that so-and-so is doing a semi competent job. Ugh, and then I have to go and do random errands like any other intern, on top of ensuring I not only try and work on my own designs, but also my assignments!' _

It had been many sleepless nights. She would be thankful for the days she had no work or class and could just sleep in. Well, unless Hawkmoth struck. Thank god she had a proper team now. It was still embarrassing having to be saved by any of them if her sleep deprivation screwed her over.

_ 'I have to get all my tasks done within the day, too, and so far I've been pretty good at doing just so. M. Agreste is impressed...I think. The man doesn't really show much emotion so I never know.' _

Ladybug sighed, looking for a blank spot on the page to start doodling. And that doodle slowly began to turn into a design, another lolita dress. She didn’t often work with lolita style in class or at work, so playing around with it in her personal time had become an easy favorite. This time, however, she decided to play around with a butterfly motif.

***

There was a certain satisfaction in knowing he was driving her insane with work, but also that she still seemed to want to impress him. Having an exhausted Ladybug lately had also been a nice plus.  There were far more close calls and he wanted to keep it that way. 

_ 'Welcome to the workforce, mademoiselle.' _

He began to draw another sketch beside hers, this time of a man in a butterfly themed tuxedo, taking the other's hand and kissing it.

_ 'You wouldn't still have the internship if M. Agreste was not impressed.' _ Good, finally an opening that wouldn't give him away.  _ 'So, count me impressed that you can do all of that on top of everything else.' _

He added on the last few details on the outfit, giving it more of a masquerade theme, soon adding a butterfly mask to complete it. 

_ 'I wear glasses' _

***

"I don't feel very welcome," Ladybug grumbled, glancing away from the words to continue her own sketch. If he was going to do a masquerade thing, there was nothing stopping her from matching him now was there?

She was adding a few of the last touches to the design (some flowers on the mask that the butterflies seemed to be landing on) when she caught sight of their next words. Glasses? She began immediately thinking of who all at the office had glasses.

Sadly, it was a pretty decent amount.

_ 'That narrows it down to about half of the office! Careful, next hint might allow me to figure you out immediately.' _

As an afterthought, she added a blush to the girl she had drawn. This would be a piece she could see herself coloring later.

***

Gabriel chuckled, a butterfly of his own landing on the page.  _ 'Much less than before, yes? What other things are you proud of doing this month? It’s been a little while since I rewarded you, hasn't it? Perhaps I should play catch-up.' _

He watched the drawing progress before him, finding it to be another calming addition to his night. If no one got upset enough to akumatize, well... he wasn't sure he'd even mind.

***

She should be paying attention to the city around her, but things had actually been peaceful the past few days. She leaned back, half contemplating dropping her transformation so she didn't feel so confined as she spoke to her soulmate.

How sad was it that she couldn't tell him this part of her? One day, maybe, just maybe.

_ 'Well, I managed to make a bit of a mini fashion line for a short show my class had put on. We had to use designs we had made only for class though, so that limited most of our options. I'm. . . I know I'm an intern, but I'm hoping to at least pitch a fashion line at work, even though it probably won't have anything come of it.' _

***

_'I think you should go ahead. I'd love to see your designs in action. I haven't seen much beyond your sketches, after all.'_  
He began to add more details to the mask on his sketch, taking great care to add small butterflies in to the design. 

_ 'What are you doing tonight?' _

***

She watched him draw, fingers brushing against her own mask. Maybe she'd fully realize this design… She'd like to wear a different mask for once. She’d like to take a break from her Ladybug one.  
At his question, she glanced around, looking at the darkening sky before turning back to the journal.

_ 'I'm just on a walk. Not really doing anything else right now.' _ It wasn't exactly a lie, just a half truth.

***

_ 'I'm not doing much either. Just sitting in a quiet place to wind down. While work is a bit more exciting with you near, it's still draining sometimes. I feel like everyone else's stresses compound onto mine sometimes, you know?’ _

While negative emotions were something he thrived off of, the empathy the brooch gave him could still take a toll. He'd often considered leaving it in his lair but often felt too paranoid to have it anywhere besides his person. It likely wouldn’t be worth it, though, as he still could feel everyone’s emotions even when he took it off, albeit less intensely. He’d had to renounce the miraculous entirely to get it to stop in the past. That wasn’t something he planned to do anytime soon.

***

_ 'Yeah, I know.' _ It probably wasn't anything like he meant, but all the stuff she had to do in her normal life mixed with her responsibilities as Ladybug was hard. As Ladybug, the entire city relied on her, and it felt like a huge weight more often than not.

_ 'Sometimes I want time to just stop so I can take a breather. I'm only human, I can only do so much.' _

***

_ 'Sadly, that's a feeling you get used to. Though, I've found staying busy can actually help a lot.' _ Staying busy got his mind off of things, helped him regulate his own emotions. The last thing he needed was less control over his emotions. They could make him weak. He knew all about that.

_ 'Here, have a bonus one. I'm also on the tall side.' _

***

He was tall? Oh no. He was an older man, on the tall side, blue eyes. . . Shit.  _ SHIT _ . He was listing off things about him that she  _ liked! _ She didn't want to admit it, especially to herself, but this was honestly...Nope. She wasn't going to even think about it, hell no.

Because she wasn't thinking about it, however, she ended up writing it out without consideration.

_ 'I do love tall, older men.' _

***

He blinked, honestly caught off guard by the statement. With how often he'd seen her spazz over his son in the past, he hadn't expected she'd have an interest in older men. He'd felt perhaps she wasn't opposed to it, per se, considering she was still talking to him, but actually having a thing for it?

Why did he suddenly feel warm?

Nope.  _ NOPE _ . He wasn't about to let this actually turn into something. He had a wife! A wife he was still going to make sure he brought back, soulmate or not. He would just, perhaps, enjoy that someone else could desire him and leave it at that, however.

_ 'Well, I love feisty younger women. So, I suppose we're even.' _

***

She didn't look at his response for a long while, honestly a bit terrified to know what would be said. A rejection of sorts? Sure, they may have been talking for a month and made no plans to meet up, and she was still trying to narrow down his identity, but it wasn't like anything would happen! They might be soulmates but the man previously had a wife!

She finally looked at what he had written, feeling her face grow hot and noticing that heat spread to... _ other _ places. Nope, nope! She was not falling, she didn't even fancy the guy! She certainly didn't imagine things with him either (or have M. Agreste himself as part of those fantasies as well). Never in a million years! Nope!

_ 'Well, Monsieur, you're making a girl wish she knew more about you now. But it is a good thing that we're avoiding a scandal, now isn't it?' _ What was she doing??? She really should just stop and put the journal away before she made a fool of herself!

***

_ 'Why do you think I'm dragging this out, after all? There would definitely be scandal, soulmate or not.' _ After all, this big of a gap? He could imagine the tabloids calling him a cradle-robber already.  _ 'Even if there's temptation, there'd be worse temptation if you knew, I think. I remember being your age. Things are harder to resist.' _

***

_ 'Maybe you'll get lucky and I'll never narrow it down to the exact person you are. And...Even if we just stay talking like this, I could still be happy.'  _ Heartbroken that she would probably never be with him, yes, but happy she had at least spoken with him. Age gaps weren't common, and judging by how big theirs was and that he had been married before...

Things would be bad. People could even accuse him of stealing the journal.   


_ Talking with you is the moment of peace each day I count on having. It's soothing.' _

***

_ 'I don't know if I consider that lucky, but perhaps it would be better if it were a few years from now. 21 is still a bit young, after all.' _ He glanced around the room, having almost forgotten the deeper layer of complications. 

They were enemies, after all. Had been for years.

_ 'I don't really see myself as soothing, but if that's how you feel...' _

***

A few years from now would mean it wouldn't sound as bad. And a few years from now, for her side of things at least, would potentially mean she wouldn't have to slip away in the night or during anything to become Ladybug and defeat Hawkmoth. Maybe she would even be able to tell him.

_ 'It is how I feel, dear. It's how I see you. Maybe it would be different if we met, maybe it wouldn't. But if there is one thing I look forward to day to day, it's speaking to you.' _

***

_ 'Surely you have someone closer to your age around that you'd prefer talking to? Classmates? Co-workers? Friends?' _ Was there anyone he could target as a weakness? He certainly hoped so. He needed to keep his eyes on the prize, no matter how she felt. No matter how he may possibly start feeling. He had vowed to bring her back, after all. For not only himself, but Adrien.

***

_ 'I mean, well, sure, there are days I prefer talking to my friends, but sometimes I prefer talking to you.'  _ Especially since now Alya had been trying to sneak peeks at the journal to investigate her soulmate as well.  _ 'And I have this part time thing I do every now and again, so I have my co-workers for that.' _ Smooth way to explain being a superhero alright.  _ 'Although...It's been harder talking to my parents. I might have let it slip that my soulmate was older...Maman didn't seem too phased, but Papa, well. He worries.' _

***

_ 'I can understand that. I was lucky enough to have a son who didn't put much weight in the soulmate journals. He seems to have his eyes set on someone else entirely. Not exactly sure if that will work out, however. Haha. He seems deadset on Ladybug.' _

That wasn't entirely it, of course. After everything with him and his wife, Adrien had grown up feeling that the soulmate thing was too confining and preferred falling in love on his own. But considering who Gabriel was very sure he was talking to...

Well, um, _ oops? _

***

Wait. His son was in love with Ladybug? That didn't narrow anything else down towards her own soulmate’s identity though. There were plenty of boys her age that were in love with Ladybug, and she knew two of them personally! Of course it wouldn't work out, so whoever the poor boy was would just have to settle with someone else.

_ 'Wouldn't it be funny if I knew your son? Okay, well, not funny, bad word choice.' _

***

_ 'More like schadenfreude?' _ He honestly couldn't help but find it funny, despite things. After all, the last person he wanted his son to get with was his mortal enemy. That wouldn't do. He already had a hard enough time sleeping at night without suspecting his son would be more likely to turn on him than he already was.

***

_ 'I guess.' _ Well that's a word she would be looking up later, at least to know what in the world he meant by that. She got up from where she had been sitting, walking towards the edge of the roof. She should go home, she had effectively ignored her patrol.  But nothing bad was happening, things would be fine, right? _ 'It's dark. I didn't realize how long I had been on my walk.' _

***

_ 'Don't put yourself in danger. There's plenty of bad things that can happen after dark. Please head home?' _  He hadn't even bothered to check the time, but the view out of his window was enough.  _ 'There's many things that can cause harm outside of akumas, after all.' _

***

Oh, how she wished she could tell him that she would be fine, despite the dark. Okay, she may be on a roof, but she was okay, she was in her suit and it wasn't like she had been spotted, right?  _ 'I'll be careful, dear. I'm heading home right now.' _

***   


_ You've called me that twice tonight, little butterfly. How intimate. At least take me out to dinner first.' _ He had to admit that teasing like this was something he'd honestly missed doing. It had been so long.

***

She had been about to close her journal and tuck it away in the bag she had when he responded. If she hadn't been clutching it so tightly, she would have dropped it to the street below and put them BOTH at risk.  _ 'Stoooppp! I'll talk when I'm home!' _ Too bad home wasn't with him, she found herself thinking. Ladybug put the journal away and whipped out her yoyo, making her way back to her apartment.

***

That tugged another chuckle out of him as he contemplated heading out of his hiding spot himself.  _ 'I'd be careful if I were you. I have expensive tastes, after all, and I’d only expect the best from a seduction dinner.'  _ And with that, he closed up his own book and walked over to his elevator, soon de-transforming and activating it. He might have better luck tomorrow for an akuma. For now, he'd rather be in bed with a pencil and his journal.

***

She hurried home, slipping in through her open window and dropping her transformation. Marinette sighed, a happy, honestly lovesick sigh that she would say was in no way connected to her soulmate. Settling herself at her desk, she pulled out her journal, turning to the page they’d been on and almost dropping it again.  _ Seduction _ dinner? He-! Why did-?!

“Gaaaahhhhh!! Whhhyyyyy???”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, bit of a heads up. There will be chapters that might have some more explicit material, and we want your opinion on how you'd want to read them. There are two options!
> 
> Option A: Keep the explicit work in the fic, but as their own chapter so people who don't want to read it can skip over it  
> Option B: Have the explicit stuff in a completely separate work
> 
> Please let us know how you'd like to view those, and we hope you've enjoyed this chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

_He's an idiot._

_That guy I mentioned? The one with the guitar? Yeah, he's a complete buffoon. I don't understand why people find him appealing whatsoever. He has a gross sense of humor, he constantly reeks of far too much cologne because he's obviously trying to cover up that he barely bathes, he seriously needs a haircut, and he's an absolute slob._

_But he can play guitar, so I guess that apparently must make up for all of his many shortcomings. Ugh. I hate him already. I hope you don't one day read this and you actually like this guy, because we might have some issues._

_The worst part, though? Now that I've attempted conversation with him he will NOT leave me alone! He found out I speak fluent English and this ass now follows me around like some clingy dog. He's not native to France and his godawful French gave that away immediately. I don't know how anyone dealt with such choppy French, let alone enjoyed it enough to stick around. I swear to god if he makes me translate something ridiculous for him again, I'm dropping him immediately. He's obviously too lazy to work on his French and now expects me to pick up that slack._

_He has gotten me some connections to work with, thankfully. Since he plays some concerts in the area, he knew some people who needed some graphics done. I can now make signs for various shows around town as well as other things they might want to advertise and I get paid commission for each piece. It's good to add to my portfolio and also brings in some business I hadn't expected. Sure, making signs isn't the ideal creative work I'd love to do, but I'll do it, you know?_

_Sometimes, I feel like there could be more, though. Maybe I should design tattoos too. There's a parlor nearby one of the clubs he'll perform at often that I've contemplated checking out. That could be pretty cool, right? Though, I've also thought about designing costumes for the theater there too, and maybe some for the various artists that play down there too. I feel like that'd be a lot of fun._

_I suppose I should still keep him around long enough to make enough business connections. Even if aggravating, he does have his uses. I just hope all of this pays off._

***

There was something about her.

He couldn't pinpoint what. He wasn't sure how to even tell what it was that kept drawing him to her, but there was something.

It was irritating as all hell.

There were the obvious traits he'd like, like how hardworking she was. She always went above and beyond, even to the extent of bringing in homemade baked sweets for her co-workers on top of the work she already did. She was also always dressed immaculately. She still did all of this on top of schoolwork and (he suspected) her work as Ladybug, and yet she still always looked on point each and every day. She was stubborn, yet clever, and would come up with solutions to things that stumped even his full time workers. It didn't help that her frame was exactly in line with his usual interests. She was thin, but not sickly thin. She had a toned body and just enough curve in all the right places to add to her form, and she knew exactly how to dress to accentuate it.

Not to mention, of course, her feisty, strong attitude that still somehow managed to meld so well with her cute personality. It was sometimes hard not to watch her at work just to see it in action.

Sometimes, he couldn't resist, just like at that very moment.

She was talking with some of the other employees, having brought them coffee and somehow turning the errand into helping fix the hem on one of the designer's dresses. She was dressed in a white shirt with black polka dots and a matching black skirt. If the outfit was a red theme, he'd wonder how she could be that bold. It sat well on her frame, as usual, and definitely drew the eyes to all the right places. There was one detail of her outfit that stood out to him more than the rest, though.

She wore a small butterfly pin on her headband.

Nooroo wiggled his head out from Gabriel’s inner jacket pocket, glancing between his master and Marinette. He had to hold back a smile from creeping upon his face when he felt the sheer conflict of emotions from Gabriel.

“She’s certainly something, isn’t she?”

"Yeah." Gabriel automatically mumbled in response, his attention still on Marinette. She not only could work a sewing machine but her hand sewing was perfect too.

She was, indeed, something.

He'd only seen her while they were fighting each other before, which had understandably been more frustrating than anything. Now, he got to see a side that was honestly pretty... enjoyable.

“You like her.” It was a statement. Why pose it as a question when Nooroo could just sense his master’s feelings on the matter? It was nice to see the man lighten up because of her. Well, he didn’t really ‘lighten up’ by most people’s standards, but his mood would certainly improve at times, and Nooroo was certain it was because of Marinette.

Gabriel stiffened at the statement, suddenly glaring down at Nooroo. "She is a good worker and designer. Nothing more. Do not skew your emotional perceptions of me."

Nooroo shrunk a bit in response. “Of course, Master.”

He wished his master could see the auras like he could. Then he would see how they melded together so perfectly, how they seemed to seek one another out. It was honestly such a beautiful blend they had and it was a shame he kept resisting it.

“Even so, you like the work she does and how devoted she is to this path she’s chosen.”

"Yes, her determination is admirable. The other employees could learn from her." He let his gaze wander back to her, letting it linger for a bit longer.

Nooroo nodded, about to say something else in response when a surprised squeal cut him off.

Marinette had gotten up from helping one designer so she could go and help another, only to trip over some loose fabric that was on the floor. She had caught herself, luckily, but Nooroo could easily sense her embarrassment from where he was.

Gabriel blinked in surprise as he watched her. He'd almost forgotten about that. She not only was very much the full package in all other areas....but she was amusing too.

As Gabriel continued watching, Nooroo noticed his master not only staring, but the inkling of a _smile_ beginning to form.

Marinette had straightened herself up, reassuring the designers that no, no, she’s fine, _really_ , and was about to go to the other one she’d been meaning to help when she felt eyes on her.

She turned, noticing Gabriel standing away from them, observing everyone. Wait, no, not everyone. He was observing _her_. Wait.

Was that a smile?

“Hang on, I’m going to talk to M. Agreste real quick.”

Oh no. She'd _seen_ him. Not only that, but she was heading his way!

The smile dropped, Gabriel only just then noticing he'd even had one in place. Instead, there was a brief expression of shock and worry before he threw up his walls and the emotionless facade was put in place once more.

“M. Agreste, did you need something?” she asked once she was close enough to him. His smile had been gone in a blink of an eye, however. Had it even been there at all?

Gabriel had to think quickly for a task to give her, nodding in response. He just had to come up with a logical reason why he’d been staring, a few errands to run, perhaps.

"I see your hem work is getting use. Perhaps you can apply it to Jay's garments in the interns' workroom. His could use some work."

“Oh, um, o-of course.” Which one was Jay again? She’d probably just ask when she got to the workroom. It probably wasn’t a good thing that she didn’t quite know her fellow interns yet. She’d have to work on that. “I’ll go and do that then.” Marinette turned to walk away, still finding herself wondering about the smile. Maybe she could ask him about it? Surely she hadn’t imagined it.

"I wasn't done, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng."

He’d spoken without thinking. While that task could get her out of his hair and away from him for a while, Gabriel found himself not truly wanting her proximity to end. He wasn't sure why, but he _needed_ to have her nearby again.

Why did he feel like a moth drawn to a flame?

Marinette paused, having already walked a far distance away. But he spoke loudly enough that she still heard him, and she was quick to turn back around and walk over once more. There was more he wanted her to do?

“Yes, M. Agreste?”

He tugged out some pieces of fabric to hand over to her. "I need you to get me four meters of fabric for each of these swatches and bring them to my office. Also, I need some coffee as well. I'll be expecting you." He then turned to leave, knowing he shouldn't stick around too long if he didn't want it to look suspicious to other employees. That and the subconscious yearning for her proximity was something he really needed to try and ignore. It was not something he wanted to let himself indulge in.

There were drugs less dangerous than indulging in that craving.

“W-wait, that’s-!” These fabrics were on an entirely different floor, weren’t they? And then he still wanted her to go and hem some things for another intern, and get him coffee?! How was she supposed to do all of this?! There was no point in arguing, though. He had given her some tasks and she was just going to have to manage her time well if she wanted to get them all done in time. “Y-yes, sir. I’ll get right on it.”

 _Good_. He could feel the panic and frustration wafting off of her. It was only fair, after all. With how much she was frustrating him lately, he couldn't let her just go without having some issues herself.

This was driving him _insane_.

Marinette hurried off to do her newly assigned tasks, apologizing to the designer she would have been helping moments ago before practically bolting out of the room.

Nooroo waited a bit before poking his head out again, looking up at Gabriel.

“Well, you scared her.”

"Good. That was my intention." He replied, continuing on to the elevator.

“And what are you going to do when she arrives with the fabrics and the coffee?” Was his master just going to run the girl ragged?

"I'll find something else for her to do, obviously." He stepped into the elevator, setting it to head to the floor of his office.

“She has other things to do that aren’t the tasks you assign for her, Master. Doesn’t she?” Nooroo didn’t actually know, but he felt like it would be best to ask anyway.

"She has school as well as her likely, ah, _extracurricular_ activities." Gabriel replied, watching the numbers go up as the elevator started moving.

“She’s not going to be able to have time for most of those things now if you keep her running around like this.”

Nooroo could feel Marinette’s panic still. He could only hope she wouldn’t mess up any of the tasks his master had assigned to her. He didn’t want to see what would happen if there were any mistakes.

"That's the _point_ , Nooroo. If I wear her down, then she gets sloppier as Ladybug. Then, I can have a better chance at getting her miraculous. If that fails, then I can also gain her trust through the journals until I can get my hands on her earrings that way."

It seemed like the perfect set up when he started. What he hadn't considered, however, was to actually take any form of _liking_ to her. She was honestly so good around the office and was so creative that it made hating her harder.

Not to mention (dare he think it?), she was actually _attractive_ as well.

This was going to be tougher than he thought. If he could find some faults in her work, however, maybe he could continue to hate her as planned. So, he was going to pile it on until she broke down entirely, if he had to.

Nooroo could feel that conflict of emotions again, taking note of the sheer confusion his master was feeling about the entire situation. Nooroo knew that he wanted them to be antagonistic, wanted to think that the journal had linked him to his enemy so they would stay enemies.

But today? Today he could feel the attraction his master was beginning to feel towards her, and, dare he say it, his master even seemed a bit _happy_ when he watched her work.

“Of course, Master. But. . . What if you start to actually-“

"I suggest you don't continue that sentence, Nooroo." Gabriel snapped at the kwami before the elevator doors opened and he stepped out towards his office. The other was beginning to grate at his nerves more than he was okay with. "The furthest I'd go is physical attraction, and even that would be pushing it. I have a goal and I'm not putting that in jeopardy for a ridiculous fling with a girl half my age. Hell, not even half my age. She's the same damn age as my _son_. If the journals actually expect us to be anything other than enemies, then the system is beyond screwed up by this point."

Nooroo’s wings fluttered sadly, his gaze lowering. If only his master could see that this might be beneficial in ways that didn’t concern the miraculous. But he had a goal, one he hadn’t dropped in nearly a decade, so of course he wouldn’t be too willing to open his eyes to other options.

Even if that option was his own soulmate.

“How long do you think it will take her to finish her current tasks? You’ve practically sent her running around the building.”

"She works quick, so I suspect we don't have as much time to talk as you would think. If you need to say something, you'd best get it done now." Gabriel's voice was obviously laced with irritation. It didn't help that both him and Nooroo could sense each other's feelings on the matter without even having to speak it. The kwami seemed so disappointed that Gabriel wouldn't pursue his soulmate in the traditional sense and they were both likely frustrating the other by this point.

Maybe he should have left him home today. He went into his work, passing the time with paperwork that needed to be taken care of before he got to sketching his next design. Nooroo, thankfully, seemed to be unsure of what to say, instead leaving them in silence as the time passed by.

However, it wasn’t long before Nooroo darted into his hiding spot when the doors to the office opened up.

There was Marinette, flushed in the face from her running around, arms full of the fabrics he asked for (undoubtedly still four meters each), and a coffee in her hand. How she managed to not spill the coffee on the fabrics honestly surprised even herself, but she had done it. Marinette carefully made her way over to his desk, setting down the coffee first.

“Where do you need me to put the fabrics, M. Agreste?”

Her flushed face was honestly more appealing than it needed to be. Gabriel could feel the frustration and panic building in her and the fact that it was bleeding through onto her features was honestly just as satisfying as he'd thought it would be.

He couldn't wait to see how she'd respond to his next request. "Oh, I didn't tell you? My apologies, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, I need them to go to the workroom on the fourth floor." He took the coffee from her hand, taking a sip and nodding with satisfaction. He knew damn well she'd had to get those fabrics from several different floors, but the majority had come from, you guessed it, the very floor he was telling her to take them.

"You can leave the chiffon here, however. I do need that one personally." He _also_ knew damn well he hadn't given her a swatch for any chiffon.

“Fourth floor? Wait, chiffon, I- that’s-!”

Marinette couldn't help but stare at him with disbelief. She probably hoped he was joking. Not only had he not expressed a want for chiffon, but without a swatch she not only wouldn't know the color he wanted but also wouldn’t even know if he wanted silk, nylon, or polyester chiffon!

“I don’t have any chiffon, M. Agreste,” she said, trying her hardest to not let her irritation show on her face. She was holding the fabric meters a bit tighter though, as if that was actually going to hold back her anger towards the situation. She was working so hard to suppress her emotions. 

Oh, this was just _delicious_. He had to do everything to hold back his smirk. She was enraged, completely and utterly _livid_ , and yet she still managed to try and hold it back and stay professional. It was impressive really. 

How far would he have to go to make her lose control, he wondered?

He feigned confusion, looking her over. "Were we out? I don't think we'd run out that quickly, would we?"

“No there was plenty of chiffon as I went around gathering the other fabrics. I-I just meant that-!” Marinette bit her lip, trying to not raise her voice. He could tell she was struggling to keep her voice down, her lack of patience starting to take hold. “Y-you didn’t give me any chiffon swatches, M. Agreste.” She forced the words out, unable to actually look at him. “So I didn’t know to grab any.”

Gabriel feigned more confusion before he reached into his blazer. "Oh!" He then tugged out a swatch for some silk purple chiffon, holding it out to her. "That explains some things. My apologies again. I feel like I haven't been able to think straight for days now."

That last part wasn't exactly a lie. He hadn't been able to think straight from the very moment she walked through that door to drop off her portfolio, and it really was making things difficult on him. He only hoped he could make everything equally as difficult for her, if not more. 

Marinette snatched the swatch from him, trying to recall which floor the fabric was on. Gabriel got the distinct feeling that she was going to need someone to hold her back from connecting her fist to her employer’s nose if the fabric ended up being hard to put her hands on. 

“Shall I go and get four meters of this after dropping off the rest then?” Venom laced her words this time around. She was obviously fed up with the day, and she still had plenty to do after work too, he was sure. That only made him want to add on more and more to her workload, though.

She was never going to sleep at this rate and that's exactly what he wanted.

"Oh, no, bring me the entire roll. I have a few different ideas I want to play around with." Oh, her anger was so delightful. He let it course through him with a sense of satisfaction.

Could he get her riled up enough for a scolding too? He certainly hoped so.

“The entire roll?! But, M. Agreste, someone else might need this particular color of silk chiffon, I can’t just take the _entire roll_ from them! And what if a designer is already using it? They’d have to put their current design on hold if I take this, even if it is for you!”

That all came out in a rush before she could even stop to think. It was like the longer he spoke, the more her frustrations towards him and the day as a whole grew. Then, it only took the slightest of pushes and she just couldn’t keep her mouth shut after that. However, he could see just how shocked she even was with herself after that outburst. He'd certainly play on that as much as he could. 

Gabriel raised an eyebrow then, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "Did you just _oppose_ me, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng?" He made sure his tone sounded like it was drenched in venom, despite just how much he wanted to laugh at the situation.

"Listen, this is my company and if I want the entire roll then I _get_ the entire roll. No one's jobs here would even exist if it weren't for me, _including_ you. I built this place from the ground up and then decided to also expand into a full company here in France, rather than outsource somewhere cheaper, in order provide more jobs for people like _you_ . So the least any of you could do is give me the entire _damn_ roll. Do you understand me?"

Marinette flinched, her face growing even warmer. He could feel the mix of hurt and anger coursing through her and even felt a bit of disappointment interwoven into the mix. It was a bit too late to warn her not to meet her idols, wasn't it?

Still, he wanted to hold on to her idolization of him just enough to keep his influence over her. He wasn't about to address her as harshly as he would most of his other employees. He just didn't want her to forget who had the power in their situation. 

No matter who was more powerful with the miraculous, he wasn't about to let her have as much power over him in their civilian forms. They were in _his_ world now. 

“Yes, sir,” she hissed, lowering her gaze again. “I’ll drop these off and get you the roll of chiffon.”

"Thank you." He replied, taking another sip of his coffee. How could he make this even better? Surely, he could get that argumentative side back some way or another?

"Oh, and one other thing."

She was about to walk out when he spoke up again. “Yes, M. Agreste?”

"I want you to figure out a fabric that would look good with the chiffon for an evening gown."

“ _What?!_ ”

She didn’t realize she had said that aloud, so certain that it had stayed in her own thoughts. He wanted her to figure out a fabric that would look good with the chiffon for an evening gown?! Why did she have to do that? Did he not have any already prepared?!

“You’ve _got_ to be kidding me.”

He took on a slightly offended and hurt facade. "I just felt like I could trust you to figure out a good match. I feel like you have a good eye for that sort of thing."

Dammit, had she said that all out loud?

“I-I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to... I-I’ll figure out a fabric to go with this. Did you want me to bring an entire roll of what I find as well?”

God, she needed some sleep. She was too snappy today. Everything was turning into a big mess. 

"Since I'm not sure how I'll use it, yes. That would be best. You know, you may want to consider the lovely color your face is right now as a base. It's a really nice pink, more on the red side. Now that I think about it, you're not feverish or anything, are you?"

He got up, setting the coffee down before walking over to her. Marinette opened her mouth to say something against being feverish, to try and explain that no, she just ran from floor to floor trying to do what he told her to do. And then he was in front of her and his hand was on her forehead and-

She was amazed that she wasn’t fainting then and there.

“M-M. Agreste, you, um, y-you don’t have to do this, I-I’m fine!” She could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Nevermind, she didn't mind being here so long as she got closer to her idol, despite his frustrating requests. She felt almost light-headed and as if she was floating. If this was one of her dreams, she would have pushed herself forward to kiss him.

He hummed softly to himself, turning his hand over to test her temperature on both sides of his hand. "Very warm, but perhaps not a feverish amount. Just keep an eye on it, hm? I can't have one of my best interns getting sick."

She shouldn’t like him being this close, she shouldn’t even _want_ him to be this close! She should be forcing herself away from him and going to do what she was told! However, when he called her one of his best interns, she honestly felt her heart skip a beat. He couldn’t really mean that, right?

“Y-yes, M. Agreste, of course.”

With a slight moment of hesitation, he pulled away, giving her a nod. "I expect that fabric back here as soon as possible."

Marinette could only nod, fearing that if she tried to speak, she would just let out a series of unintelligible noises. She couldn’t help but feel like there was some sort of emptiness when he walked away too. She couldn’t let herself think about the feeling too much, though. She needed to get back to work. She moved to leave the office, nearly tripping over herself and running into the door before she actually managed to get out of the room.

He finally allowed himself a smirk once she'd left the office, chuckling softly to himself. He began to feel satisfied with the situation. After all, he'd been able to shove frustration, anger, guilt, and arousal all in the span of a few minutes.

This routine could grow addicting, really.

The mixture of emotions still running through the girl was just far too wonderful and still so very intoxicatingly strong.

He  _loved_ it.

It had been such a wonderful ride from start to finish and he looked forward to when she'd be back with the fabrics.

That is, he felt eager for her return until he realized one thing.

No matter how far off she'd get, no matter how much her emotions seemed to dim, the arousal and the weird complicated feeling of flustered delight and lovesick pining... didn't fade at all. He couldn't come up with any idea that would explain it away. The conclusion was obvious.

Those emotions were his own.

***

It took Marinette some time before she came back. No one gave her any weird looks, thankfully, as she walked around the building with an entire roll of purple silk chiffon in her arms.

The amount of time spent trying to find a good fabric to go with something this delicate though was insane! It took her until she was a floor below Gabriel’s office to actually find a fabric that would work well with it.

She had gone with a roll of dark pink satin that, when hitting the right light, looked like it could be red. Why she went with Gabriel’s suggestion, she wasn’t sure, but the two colors melded together far too well for her to consider anything else.

“Alright, I’ve got the fabrics for you, M. Agreste.” She entered the office with some difficulty, but noticed not too long after that her boss didn’t seem to be anywhere in the room. “....M. Agreste?”

Marinette looked around, trying to find any trace of him. There wasn’t even any sort of note left behind to inform her where he was or if the fabrics needed to go elsewhere. Had he seriously just sent her on some wild goose chase? Had he just sent her running around for no reason?! Why would he make it sound urgent if he wasn't even going to be here to do anything with it?!

“ _Asshole,_ ” she mumbled, moving towards a table off to the side to set the rolls on. “Making me run around like that. That fucking... God dammit.”

She continued to curse him under her breath as she left the office, the door clicking shut behind her.

What she didn't know was that he had slipped into his studio from the office, locking the door behind him and keeping as quiet as possible to try and go unnoticed.

He couldn't deal with this right now. He didn't want to. Why had he welcomed this disaster into his life? He remained silent for a good while, just taking deep breaths to try and steady himself, closing his eyes and focusing on the sound of the air conditioning.

She wasn't worth the panic.

Nooroo waited a bit before phasing into the studio, looking at Gabriel.

“It’s alright to feel this way, Master.”

Instead of snapping at his kwami, Gabriel remained silent, swallowing the thick lump in his throat. He opened his eyes to stare at the floor, not wanting to face Nooroo just yet.

“Master?” He fluttered closer to him, but took care to not get directly in his face. “Are you alright?”

Gabriel still remained silent, hesitantly letting his gaze wander over to his wedding band. He hadn't felt like this in so long and the last he had, he'd been looking into green eyes, not blue.

Soft blonde hair, perfectly framing her face at all times. A glisten of mischief in her eyes every time she teased him. Soft small lips that would whisper wonderful sweet nothings in his ear anytime he'd feel panic taking over.

He needed her now more than ever and yet he felt furthest from her now than he'd ever been. He felt dirty, knowing that there was someone else even remotely tainting his thoughts in any similar fashion to how she would. It felt disloyal and wrong.

It felt-

“It’s alright, Master. You’re alright.”

Gabriel was shaking.

Nooroo forced down any panic he was feeling as he watched his master lose himself to his own thoughts. He had seen similar episodes like this before but it never got any easier to deal with.

He landed lightly on Gabriel’s shoulder, closing his eyes as he focused on feeling calm, projecting it towards his master. They couldn’t let him be found like this, and he knew that he couldn’t let Gabriel stay like this for too long.

"I can't do this, Nooroo. I get close to her and it’s like she sucks me in. I need to try and make sure this doesn't go too far. I _have_ to get Emilie back." Gabriel's voice was shaking too, suddenly wishing he didn’t have to speak at all. If only they could read each other’s thoughts too.

"I can't let this get to me. I can't let it slow me down. I don't know what the soulmate journals do to cause this, but it's not natural. It _can't_ be. I fell in love with Emilie naturally. This feels..."

Nooroo knew this headspace all too well. How many other times had he seen his chosen get worked up because of his lost wife? How often had he watched him berate himself whenever an akuma failed? It was times like this that, in the past, he had turned to drinking. Nooroo would get lucky if he could calm him down before he could pluck a bottle from the shelf.

“You’re not pathetic,” Nooroo said, already guessing where the man’s thought process was going. “You’re anything _but_ pathetic, Master. You’re not being slowed down. This is something you didn’t anticipate, yes, but if you think you can overcome it for Emilie, then you can.”

He didn’t make any comment about the journals. This was no fault of the journals, after all. It was his master’s aura being able to finally mix with his soulmate’s aura. It’s what kept drawing them together, after all.

"You're only saying that to try and calm me down. You sounded all too eager to have us get together just a little bit ago." Gabriel countered, though he chose to ignore how his kwami was able to read him far too well.

They'd been in near constant contact for about a decade now. He barely ever had Nooroo leave his side and he knew he couldn't hide his emotions from the kwami, so he had given up on that ages ago, letting him in to see a side no one else was allowed to.

“But you also want to get Emilie back. While it would be nice to see you with the person your journal has connected you to, I know how much you love Emilie. So if you really need her back, then you’ll just have to do what you can.” Regardless of the feelings of others, but why say that to the man who had been manipulating feelings for years?

Nooroo once more tried to send waves of calm towards him, only able to hope that it would hold back the panic Gabriel was feeling.

Gabriel glanced at his kwami once more, a slight frown working its way onto his features. He couldn't sense any ingenuity from Nooroo at the moment, but while Gabriel was good at hiding his emotions...Nooroo had millennia more experience doing that himself. Gabriel couldn't trust the emotions his kwami had all the time, but he'd accept that for now. With a sigh, he let the calm run over him, silently fidgeting with the wedding band on his finger. It was so easy to turn. Just how much weight had he lost since this had started?

"I miss her so much, Nooroo."

“I know.” If he was closer to him, Nooroo would have given him something similar to a hug. However, he didn’t have that kind of bond with Gabriel, as much as he wished he did.

It hurt him to see him hurt like this, though.

“Are you ready to face the rest of your day?”

"...Give me a few more moments?" Gabriel muttered softly, still turning the ring around his finger mindlessly.

“Of course, Master. As long as you need.”

Nooroo could tell already that he would be sending waves of calm towards him for the rest of his shift that day, and quite possibly even long after they got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, from your input on the last chapter, it looks like we'll be going with option a! Now again, the explicit content won't be until later, but we're glad to have seen how you guys would like us to address it so thank you for that!
> 
> We're also hoping to find someone who might be able to help beta the fic as we go along. We have a lot on our plates and sometimes its hard to make the fic flow well since it was originally an RP and sometimes we're editing really quick between other things we need to do. It wouldn't need much for grammar fixes, but more just to keep the flow fluid without causing too much disruption in the reading experience due to the different POVs. If any of you wonderful readers can help us out, please let us know! It would be such a huge help! Thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Pip and Remasa for reading over this chapter and being our betas. We don't know what we would have done without you two!

_Butterflies used to be a symbol of beauty to the people of Paris. Children used to chase them and want to catch them, some even making little habitats for caterpillars with their parents._

_With the rise of the supervillain Hawkmoth nearly a decade ago, people began to fear even normal butterflies, uncaring that not all of them were the magically charged ones that Hawkmoth would send out. Butterflies became a symbol of fear. Children no longer played with them and instead tried to knock them out of the sky. Anyone who showed even the slightest bit of interest or kindness towards a butterfly was at risk of being called a Hawkmoth supporter. After so long, would it even be possible for butterflies to regain Paris’ love once Hawkmoth is defeated? Or is their image forever to be tainted in the eyes of Parisians?_

***

Two months had passed. Her workload increased, her classes were more of a struggle, and Hawkmoth suddenly seemed to be picking scorned soulmates as his akuma victims. Yes, they would get the odd one out who had other reasons to be targeted, but did the guy hate people falling in love or something?

Because of this, Marinette had been sleeping less and less, was late for class a few times, and would make it to work with just moments to spare. Today was no different.

Unless you count that on her way to get herself coffee or tea or _something_ to wake up, she tripped over her own clumsy feet and collided with whomever was in front of her. Whoever was in front of her was wearing a vest that she’d seen before. In fact, hadn’t she seen those shoes before? And that-

Oh god! She had crashed _into her boss!_

"I-I'm so, so sorry, I- M-Monsieur Agreste!" This was it. This was how she would die. Or at the very least lose her internship.

Gabriel really couldn’t blame her, though. After all, he'd been depriving her of sleep (perhaps out of spite). His growing feelings for the damned girl was enough to make anyone frustrated. Especially for someone who liked to keep his emotions under lock and key. The only emotion he couldn't keep as controlled was anger, which ultimately was how he found himself giving her more and more to do, because _damn her_ .

That and he had deprived himself of sleep during all of this too. He was already an insomniac without all of this added frustration. This lack of sleep, however, made him too weak to steady them as she tripped, and the two of them fell to the floor, leaving a particularly disheveled Gabriel Agreste underneath a very panicked young intern. He was stunned, only managing to utter one thing:

"Ow."

Marinette couldn't help but panic. Shit, shit, _shit, SHIT!_ This was bad this was so very, _very_ bad! She had planned to talk to M. Agreste when she could fake being a bit more awake than she truly was, but tripping and knocking them both to the ground? Yeah. Not her best of plans, she'd admit, considering it wasn't even a plan!

And she was still on top of him.

Marinette felt another rush of panic as she pushed herself up and rolled off of him, staring up at the ceiling as she laid on her back, refusing to look beside her in hopes the situation was just a feverish hallucination. She could stand up later. When she caught her breath. Or maybe after a nap. No, she could nap somewhere else, not here! Not now!

She dared a glance beside her. Oh god, it really was true. She really had done it! She really had done one of the absolute worst things she could imagine ever doing with her clumsy self.

"I am so sorry, sir, I don't... I-I haven't slept well lately," she squeaked out, making an attempt to subtly cover her face under the guise of rubbing sleep from her eyes. She knew she had to be red enough by this point that she wouldn’t even have needed her mask if she were to transform now. She felt like her skin was on fire.

Despite Gabriel's own mental protests, he found himself missing the warmth of her body pressed against his, however briefly. His mind had already begun to throw itself into shameful directions, mental imagery so terribly vivid it would make anyone blush.

He blamed the lack of sleep.

As she got up and began apologizing profusely, Gabriel began to try to compose himself. Shoving down the thoughts that he was already cursing himself for, he stood up, brushing himself off.

"If you can't take care of yourself, you won't last in my company, Mlle Dupain-Cheng," he replied, sounding like he was trying to put more disdain into the statement than he was actually capable of in his sleep-deprived state. Instead of icy and stern, it came out dull and lackluster. Still, the intent was there and she didn’t miss it.

Frowning for a moment, she forced herself to her feet. No, she was going to last here, even if it was out of sheer stubbornness. He may be her boss (and idol) but that didn't mean she was going to roll over and let him walk over her.

"Actually, M. Agreste, I was looking for you." Marinette brushed herself off (as well as mentally brushing away whatever she felt while on top of him, not wanting to let any improper imagery assault her mind while at work). She held out a folder to him, praying that she wasn't shaking.

"I uh. I-I have a few ideas for a fashion line. I know I'm just an intern, but I thought-"

"Do you know how many of these I get on the regular? What reason do you have for me to consider yours?" he demanded, giving her a once over as he took the folder before looking down at her with a decidedly irritated look.

"None. I'm just an intern. Yes, I want to be a fashion designer, and have my own brand one day. Who doesn't want that in this industry?" The words came tumbling out before she could even form a coherent thought. "I knew when coming up with this line that it might get turned down. That I will have to fight for it if it got approved. Because..." Marinette took a deep breath, taking a moment to ponder a way to prove she was worthy of consideration before continuing.

 _Here goes nothing._ _  
_

"Because the city is afraid of what a butterfly represents now and has been for almost a decade." She opened the folder to one of the designs, a formal gown with a butterfly motif. "I'm even scared to go out sometimes because one might land on me and I'll forget the next few hours. But they're still beautiful, they shouldn't be feared on a daily basis. Even a normal butterfly could be swatted out of the sky by a little kid who thinks it's an akuma..."

 _Well, well, well_ . He must admit that this was _not_ something he expected. For her to make a bold move like this that could change how she was viewed by her idol? That took some guts. He found himself smirking a bit, pride rushing over him before he even realized it.

It wasn't just Ladybug who took risks.

As he looked over the folder’s contents, he felt a sense of deja vu, finding himself already trying to figure out ways to tease her. He was all too easily sucked back into the game between them, despite how much he wanted to hate her very presence. It was just far too fun.

"I must say, I'm glad you didn't attempt, ah, _alternative_ methods to get this approved, Mlle Dupain-Cheng. I may just have to actually consider this one now."

 _Alternative methods?_ She nearly opened her mouth to snap at him that she would _never_ go to such lengths to get something approved. But then again, considering how they had actually run into each other that morning and how that felt... No, stop, now was _not_ the time!

"I'm just glad I was able to show it to you, Monsieur. I worked on it for a few months now, and... Well, I guess I feared that if I handed it off to someone else to pass along to you, it would be rejected without a second thought, just because of the theme."

She allowed herself a smile then, her shoulders lifting in a gentle shrug. "I should let you get back to your work now, and I should really get myself a coffee. I don't want to knock anyone else down."

"You're right to make sure to hand this to me directly. Honestly, I feel the controversial subject could be a good way to bring attention to it. Well, that is, if you want your first true introduction to the field to be controversial. Not everyone can handle that, you know," he replied, flipping through the different designs in the folder.

Did her smile grow just a bit there? She was sure that it did. It was hard to hold back how giddy she felt whenever her idol seemed to like her work, she had to admit. "I certainly didn't want to play it safe with this, M. Agreste. If I wanted to play it safe, I would have picked some other theme."

"I need to get some coffee as well. Perhaps you could tell me some more about this line along the way?" Gabriel responded, continuing to look through the folder as he fell in beside her, the both of them beginning to walk toward the breakroom.

"Of course." Okay, she hadn't really been counting on that. Well, it wasn't going to hurt to say what made her come up with the line, right? She just had to not mention that a soulmate was involved. There was a slight worry that someone would overhear and then somehow assume that her soulmate was Hawkmoth, of all people. As if _that_ was possible! Her soulmate was someone else entirely, someone... special to her. He was someone sweet, teasing, creative and inspiring. There was no way she could be soulmates with her enemy, right?

Gabriel continued to look through the folder, making slight nods at designs he particularly liked and mentally noting any critiques he had to bring up if they began to seriously make it. After a moment, he turned to her, about to bring up one such mental note before he stilled in his tracks. Her smile, why did it seem so familiar? Even earlier, he’d felt the same sense of deja vu looking at her smiling face. It was unnerving for a reason he couldn’t quite place and he couldn’t shake the feeling. There was something about it, something almost hauntingly beautiful. There was pain to that beauty, though. But why did-?

Then it hit him.

He'd seen that smile _before_.

That was _her_ smile.

He felt the breath leave his body suddenly, almost as if he’d been punched in the gut and his mind was trying to catch up still. No. No, _no_ , _NO_ . The universe was cruel, but would it dare to be that cruel? He _had_ to be imagining things. He hadn't slept much himself lately and his mind was playing tricks on him. That _had_ to be it.

Surely, Marinette didn't actually have _her_ smile. His wife's smile was something he hadn't expected to see until he brought her back. Outside of old portraits and photographs, there was no reason to see that smile again.

Unless that reason was simply that the journal system wanted to _haunt_ him in some way.

At first, Marinette didn't realize that Gabriel had stopped walking. She had been mentally going over how to discuss the fashion line without saying something that could be taken the wrong way. She really should have thought of how to present it beforehand and perhaps while more awake. Maybe today wasn't the best day to have presented the line then? She wasn't entirely sure. She really did just need some coffee to figure it out. She was about to turn the corner when she realized that there wasn't a second set of footsteps following after her.

Turning, her smile fell and her expression morphed into one of concern. "M. Agreste? Is everything alright?" Was it the designs? Rushing over to him, she hesitantly placed her hand on his arm. "Is it my designs? I-I know they're a bit rough, and..."

He hadn't even realized he'd frozen in place. When her voice finally broke through, his heart rate had already risen and his breathing was a bit too ragged for someone who hadn't been straining himself physically. His stomach twisted in knots and a cold sweat threatened to overtake him before he shook his head, closing his eyes to concentrate on his breathing.

"No, it's not your designs. You just... for a moment, I thought..." He leaned against the wall, continuing to try calming his breathing as he covered his face with a hand, attempting to find some calm place in his mind to separate himself emotionally from the situation. Her own worry and panic wasn’t making the situation any better. This whole scenario was entirely fucked beyond belief already without _her_ being there.

His soulmate was not only his enemy and not only half his age... but _she shared his wife's smile_ .

 _Of course_ the universe would be that cruel. Why would he _ever_ think otherwise?

"Get me some water," he blurted out, wanting nothing more than to get some distance between the two of them.

"Ah. . . O-of course." There had been silence from him for so long that she worried there might be something seriously wrong, so she was quick to go get the water he requested, taking care not to let any of it spill on her way back to him.

"Here you go." she held out the glass for him, hoping perhaps it would help in some way or another.

What was that? What was going on? He had seemed fine just a second ago! And he might have said it wasn't her designs, but clearly it was something related to her. But what? Marinette was no stranger to prying (a certain schedule she had burned up years ago came to mind), but it felt wrong to try and pry into her boss’s life to figure out just _what_ had happened back there. She couldn’t really ask him, after all. Maybe M. Agreste was just losing too much sleep himself. Despite all the work he gave her and the rest of his employees, he still seemed to do ten times as much as everyone else.

Gabriel took the glass, sipping at the water slowly, leaving them in a far too anxious and uncomfortable silence. "Thank you. Ignore that this happened. I fear I've worn myself down more than I realized. For a moment there, you resembled someone I once knew."

She looked like someone else he knew? She couldn't really think of anyone, unless... Could he mean his wife? Years ago, Adrien had given her the compliment of having his mother's smile. Is that what Gabriel was thinking as well? It seemed a bit of a stretch, though. She could be jumping to conclusions.

"Of course, sir. Perhaps I should get back to work as well. Give you some time to look over the line and decide what to do with it." She needed to resume her tasks anyway. She couldn't afford to spend anymore time distracted - even if it WAS with the head of the company.

"I think, instead, I'll be in my office,” Gabriel said, amending his previous declaration. “Bring me coffee there. Black." He drained the rest of the water in a single gulp, handing the glass back to her before standing back up straight, grabbing the folder as he forced on his mask of neutrality once more. Without another word, Gabriel stalked off, needing to get as far away from her as quickly as possible. An abrupt sense of urgency to clear his head overwhelmed him.

"Y-yes, sir." Marinette watched him disappear down the hallway, unsure of what else to say or do other than heading to the employee break room to get him a cup of coffee.

She had to make the coffee herself because apparently no one had brewed any that morning. As an after thought, she made herself a cup of coffee as well and loading it up with what would appear to be an excessive amount of cream and sugar, knowing she still needed the energy boost. She then made her way to Gabriel's office, a room she very seldom went to. Finding a way to balance the cups, she knocked on his door, announcing her arrival.

***

There was a part of him that wanted to burn the journal up then and there. It would certainly be a way to tell the universe just how he felt about its sick joke. He knew that wouldn't be a good idea, however. After all, this was the best way to get the earrings; he was sure of it. He just needed his coffee and needed to keep her from smiling around him for the rest of the day. He could do that.

"Come in."

Marinette opened the door, her movements slow so she wouldn't spill either cup of coffee. She walked over to his desk and placed his cup down, taking a few steps back after completing her task.  
She shifted nervously on her feet as she awaited his verdict - or dismissal. He eyed her over the cup rim as he grabbed it and held it to his lips, not yet taking a sip. He could tell just from observing her that she felt a bit awkward after their encounter in the lobby and probably wasn't entirely sure how to address what had transpired between them. She certainly was attempting to tiptoe through the delicate situation, clearly not wanting to upset her boss further.

"I-I'll just head back to do my work then, sir. Enjoy your coffee," she said at last when he didn’t speak up.

"Tell me, Mlle Dupain-Cheng, what inspired you to use butterflies as your theme?" Gabriel asked abruptly, preferring to keep her around long enough to find a way to avoid having as many smiles to look at as possible.

"Ah. . ." She had already turned around, her back to him. She thought back to the many designs she had ended up making with the theme, some as part of her school work and others her personal work (with some only in her journal). Marinette took a sip of her coffee, ignoring the heat creeping up her neck, thinking of all the times she envisioned her soulmate calling her his butterfly. "Someone I care about very much still finds beauty in them."

“Who is this someone?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s personal.”

"Someone you care about very much yet you won't say who? I certainly hope they’re not Hawkmoth," he muttered.

"He's _not_ Hawkmoth!" How she managed to not spill her coffee while sharply turning to meet his gaze, she would never know. Her emotions and lack of sleep were clearly getting the best of her. "That man is not and could _never_ be the monster Paris fears! He's worried if I'm out too late; he gets concerned about things happening in my life that may be cause for akumatization and does his best to ensure otherwise. He's kind, and loving, and refuses to fear something because of one power hungry man!"

"Do you think monsters aren't human too?" Gabriel asked quietly, giving her a pointed stare as he finally took his first sip of coffee. "How do you think monsters become what they are? How many of your friends have become monsters when their emotions went too far?” His glare faltered, instead shifting to his coffee. “Akumas or not, we've always had monsters. The worst ones, I dare to argue, are just as human as you and me. Even more so, I think you'll find, they are human and in pain." His eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment, the words hanging in the air for a bit longer before his gaze snapped back up to her, meeting her eyes once more. Marinette wasn’t sure just what to make of what just transpired, but she had a feeling she’d seen his guard drop and had gotten a glimpse of something deeper inside him.

Still, she didn’t falter in her defense. She wanted to scream, to tell him that she knew better than he did about what happened to her friends because she had to fight them. "I get the impression you've never gotten a text message in the middle of the night because someone you care about just had a nightmare about it," she began in a soft, pained voice, her words almost a whisper as she recalled those horrifying nights, "and they were so foggy and screwed up, so terrified that they were an akuma again that they just had to tell someone. Anyone who would listen. I've been that person more times than I care to admit. I've seen what the lasting effects of akumatization are, despite the memory loss." She took a steadying breath and gripped her cup tight. "Human or not. . . He has to be stopped. People have nearly died because of him. Children are killing butterflies because he's turned them into something to fear. I... I-I have seen too much of what his cruelty causes. To be honest, it's a scary thought... What he could do if Ladybug and Chat Noir lost." Her earrings felt so heavy, a weight of a world she never wanted resting upon her. "I don't want to see that world."

"And what if the world wouldn't change? What if he doesn't want to change the world but only something personal? And if people fear him and the butterflies who represent him, how do you think they might view your fashion line?" Marinette couldn’t help but feel like the man before her hadn’t even been listening. Why did he seem so cold and unfeeling even after what she’d just described to him? Was he just trying to get her riled up? It didn’t make any sense!

"I already told you that I know I would have to fight for it. They'll look at it in fear, they'll look at me and try to hurt me like _they've_ been hurt so he can manipulate my emotions for his own sick game." She tried to stay calm, knuckles white now from her grip on the cup. God, she could mostly see just red now. "If you're just going to try and belittle this attempt now, maybe you should have tossed aside that folder without a second thought, sir."

Gabriel smirked then, intertwining his fingers. "I'm only asking a few questions. Who said anything about belittling your work? You're putting words in my mouth now." He sat back, taking another sip of coffee as he appeared to think over his next words very carefully.

"If this is how you'll respond to your boss on the subject, then I don't know if you're actually ready to release this line. I was taking this easy and you've already gotten defensive and ready to fight. The press will eat you alive, and they will definitely go much further than I have, you know. They will have absolutely no regard for your feelings, whatsoever."

 _Damn_ , he had her there. That wasn’t what she expected at all. He took advantage of her inexperience and ran with it. Marinette lowered her gaze, feeling that heat she felt earlier, though now from shame and embarrassment. Instead of staying calm and finding easy ways to talk about her line, she had blown up and fought.

How stupid could she get?

When she lifted her head, she was smiling sadly (much to Gabriel's dismay), defeat obvious in her eyes. "They'd probably jump on the whole 'soulmate is Hawkmoth' train... And I don't want him to be spoken of like that... We have to avoid a scandal as it is already." The last bit was muttered mostly to herself, and she could only hope Gabriel didn't hear her. "Perhaps I should... Revise this work, or settle on some other theme as a possible debut. Or just wait until I'm more prepared to take what's thrown at me and not... Fight back like that."

"I think a different debut line would be best. Learn to take the normal kind of critiques before jumping into something so controversial." He set his mug down, looking her over again.

"So it's your soulmate who inspired you? I know this is the last thing anyone would want to consider, but Hawkmoth is a manipulator. Who's to say he's not pulling a charade and trying to get you to do this? Pushing you into caring about butterflies would easily open you up to emotional hurt. How can you be so sure?"

"Don't you think he would have akumatized me by now? Or would have ignored me right out? I'm 21, M. Agreste. Hawkmoth is... Well, we don't know who he is, but he's someone who is manipulative, as you say, and clearly power hungry." She stared back down at her cup, wondering briefly if she should be asking questions to see if her soulmate was Hawkmoth.  
She had suspected Gabriel once. She never thought she'd have to suspect her _soulmate_.

"I don't know, I just... Maybe I'm just hopeful that he's genuine when he talks with me... And it's not just him that still sees beauty in butterflies! I... I see people, smiling if one lands near them so long as they think no one is looking. My friend Rose, who still has nightmares about her akumatization sometimes, still finds them good and beautiful, and she has every right to think otherwise! Maybe he isn't pushing me to care to open me up to emotional hurt, but pushing me to see that not everyone fears something that is still, in all actuality, innocent."

Gabriel nodded, pulling her folder back over to look over the designs. They _were_ impressive, something he couldn't help but admire. The small details worked into some were obviously full of forethought and care.

Was what he was doing really okay?

No, of course it was. He couldn't second guess himself now.

"You know, I fell in love without my soulmate journal. Sometimes, they just don't end up being what they are cut out to be. I would advise you be careful, as anything can happen. Some people, after all, find that their soulmate isn't their soulmate because they're destined to fall in love, but rather because they're destined to be enemies or rivals for the rest of their lives.”

Gabriel was quiet, looking her over once more as he considered his next words. He had to make sure he didn’t cause too much distrust of their connection through the journal either. "Then again,” he said with the faintest of grins, wry yet somehow doing wonders to soften his harsh angles, “I'm the last person to trust a soulmate journal. You might be perfectly fine."

She listened to him talk about falling in love without the journal and thinking back to all of those filled pages from her own soulmate. No, he couldn't be. . . Could he?

She mentally shook her head, knowing that it was ridiculous. Gabriel had probably locked his own journal away somewhere to never see it again. There was no way he could be the man writing to her day in and day out. If Gabriel _was_ the man on the other end of her journal, then his treatment of her in person would be such a stark contrast to those soft, encouraging, yet teasing words she’d read on the pages. His behavior just didn’t match up, especially after this conversation. If he was her soulmate then he knew she was his and to play with her feelings about it like this? It just seemed too cruel, even for Gabriel. No, it just wouldn’t make sense.

He closed the folder, getting up and walking over to hand it back to her. "Make sure to protect these. They're very impressive designs and you deserve to be the one to debut them. There's a good message here and I think you should follow through... once you have a tougher skin, of course."

"I'll make sure these stay safe then, sir. May I go back to work? I want to get everything else assigned to me done before the end of the day."

And then she could go home and maybe just sleep or find a way to perk herself back up. For all she knew, Hawkmoth could be waiting for her to take one last step off the edge before making her his akuma.

He nodded, placing a hand to her shoulder, firm but soft all at once. It felt so odd. "I trust this won't slow you down or keep you from finishing for the day? I expect as good of work as you normally do."

"It won't, sir. I'll be sure to have my tasks done before I have to leave." She forced a smile on her face, a formality that she hoped would reassure him. Judging from the look on his face, however, she worried it did just the opposite.  She would complete every task even if it meant she would have to stay later, but she wasn't going to let this get her down. Not while at work. When she got home, on the other hand…

She just hoped she would find she had nothing to worry about where her soulmate’s identity was concerned.


	11. Chapter 11

 

It was strange coming home after that day. Normally she would dive into more work or be eager to write to her soulmate. However, her conversation with Gabriel lingered on her mind, and she found herself flicking back to past entries in the journal. Was there evidence in here to suggest he was Hawkmoth? Was it possible that her soulmate was also her arch enemy?

‘ _I’m the first one to write, so I guess I must have gotten mine first, yeah? That’s okay, I’ve waited my entire life for my journal, I can wait a little longer for you. I can tell you a bit about myself in the meantime.'_ The entry read, then going into a brief description of his hobbies. 

It hurt. Each word she read sent more and more tremors through her heart. How hopeful he sounded, despite not having any responses. Still, that couldn't narrow down who he was. Marinette began to skim through more of his writing, praying she could find something that would give her an answer. _Who are you?_ she wanted to ask. _Are you someone I should fear?_ Her eyes fell upon a later part of the passage. 

‘ _While that’s fun, though, I prefer drawing. My father doesn’t care for it, but I can’t make myself stop. It helps me calm down and I really enjoy it. I would really like to make a living of it, but father says art doesn’t go anywhere.’_  


"Your art got you somewhere. It will keep getting you somewhere. . . Wherever that is." She brushed her fingers over the words on the page, smiling sadly. So he didn't have the best of relationships with his father then. That sounded like a certain boy she knew, but still. Her soulmate could be anybody. Nothing unusual stood out to her. "Another entry then. . . Come on. . . Who are you, dear?"

_'I know I haven't been talking much, but things got hectic recently. My father is always around and it's suffocating. Even with me living somewhere else, he always finds some way to directly involve himself in my life. I wish he'd leave me alone. I know it probably sounds bad, but I kind of hope he's dead before we meet so you don't have to deal with him.'_   


"You just might have gotten your wish, with how long you've waited for me." This was getting into such heavy stuff that she almost felt like she was invading his privacy, despite the fact he had written it with the thought that his soulmate would later read it. Despite the discomfort, she found herself turning to another page, another entry. She was a curious young woman who wanted to learn more about this man, Hawkmoth or not. She flipped through a few entries, skimming through and finding nothing of note in her investigation. However, she found herself stopping on an entry that mentioned a woman, knowing perhaps she should stop before her morbid curiosity hurt her, but knowing also that she wasn’t about to do that anytime soon.

_'I hope you're her. And if you're not, then I hope you're not the jealous type. She doesn't believe in the journals so she never wrote in it. Maybe that's why I haven't gotten any responses. We click in a ton of ways and she's just so beautiful. I can't stop thinking about her. No matter if you're her or not, this feels right. I just need to stop being a coward and ask her out already. Please be her. I don't know how I'd be if you weren't.'_   


His wife never used her journal then, probably leaving her own soulmate in a similar situation to this. If his wife was still around (and for all Marinette knew, she just might be), then he shouldn't have written back to her in the first place. Perhaps she should have read these entries before first writing back to him and allowed herself to get heartbroken then and there. From the way he described her, just how in the world could she compete with that?  


_'She doesn’t mind modeling for me. Whether it be to draw her or design her clothes, she’s always happy to do so. I wonder if she can tell how much it matters to me. No matter how bad things get, her smile just never fails to brighten my day. It helps get me through the week. I hope she's you or this might seem awkward later. Please don't hate me if you aren't. She makes me feel better about life and I need that so much right now.'_   


Marinette couldn't help but wonder if he ever found out that she wasn't his soulmate. Not like it would matter. It was honestly a bit adorable seeing how hard he had fallen for her. And it wasn't like she and her soulmate had become anything yet, not really. They had never even met. Would probably  _ never  _ meet, judging from how much he seemed to adore this women.

So why did her heart hurt so much?   


She flipped through a few more pages, guilt threading through her as she hoped that she wouldn't find _another_ entry about the girl that would eventually become her soulmate's wife.

_'She wants children._ _   
_

_I'm not sure if I could be a good father after my own experiences. I suppose I could at least give my kid more space? I dunno. I just don't think it would work. But if she wants them and can take care of them, then maybe it won't be so bad? I don't think it's a dealbreaker. She's worth it. I just hope I don't screw it up. We're still going to wait until marriage. If that happens. I'm not prepared for too much at once so I hope she'll take things slow.'  
_

_ "I'm sure you were fine. And if you weren't, you could try again, you-" No, this wasn't the point of reading these entries! She already knew he had a son, clearly, and his son loved Ladybug.  
_

She flipped several more pages in, still not finding anything that pointed her towards his identity. Was he going to forever be a mystery? _   
_

_ 'She's gone.’ _

Marinette gulped as she read the words. The handwriting, normally neat and even, shook as her soulmate poured his heart into the words. The script wobbled around on the page, and she could imagine just how distraught he must have been on the other side, shaking as he pressed the pen a little too hard against the paper. _   
_

_ ‘They keep telling me she has to be dead, but they haven't found a body. I'm not giving up on her. I have to find her. Whatever it takes.  _

_ I don't know how to take care of our son, though. I have no clue. She always took care of him. I don’t even know how to talk to him about it all. If I could just find her then it will be fine.  _

_ If you do exist, I hope you can help. Please be someone who can fix this. I don't know what to do without her. I’m so lost.' _   


Is that why he wrote back to her then? Because she finally responded and now she could help? Could she even help him? This entire situation left a bitter taste in her mouth. None of these entries provided solid enough clues or hints towards her soulmate's identity. It didn't even give a clue to the identities of his wife or son!  


She closed the journal with a sigh of frustration, pushing herself away from the desk. Tall, slim, blue eyes, wears glasses, a fashion designer... That didn't tell her much at all either. That description fit at least ten people she’d seen around work. And _ he _ knew what she looked like! It wasn’t fair at all! She’d hoped she could find something that would give her an upper hand, but she didn’t know enough personal details about her co-workers to use this information at all.

Her gaze fell to her folder with the fashion line she had shown Gabriel earlier that day. She shoved it into the back of a drawer as quickly as she could.  She hoped to never see it again. It felt tainted now somehow. Why make her feel so important when she couldn’t even remotely compete with a ghost? If he was Hawkmoth, was this his motive? His wife? If it was, he was obviously devoted to keep trying for so long, so why bother with her in the first place?  


The silence was a bit deafening though, and after a while she pulled the journal back over and opened to a blank page. She willed herself to grab a pencil.

_'You still love her. Don't you?'_   


***

Gabriel was in his home office, preferring to stick to work now for distraction, even if that meant staying sleepless for a while longer. He didn't need sleep, he needed distraction instead of nightmares. There was no point to sleep if it didn’t make him feel rested, after all.  
When he finally heard the sound of pencil against paper, he was almost hesitant to look. After all, he'd put the idea in her head that he might be Hawkmoth. Not that it wasn't true, of course, but he hoped it wouldn't backfire. 

When he saw the words on the page, however, he froze, wondering briefly what all she'd read. He had intentionally avoided putting too much personal info in the journal, just in case someone had stolen it, so she shouldn't know who he is. Either way, he should answer her question and perhaps, for once, the truth would be best.   


_ 'Yes.' _

***

_ 'Then why respond to me at all? Why still hold onto this and not burn it up? You had and still have every right to.'  
_

She didn't want to be a replacement for a memory. She didn't want to look at old entries anymore and feel more and more useless as they went on. If he found his wife, he would have no point in keeping this journal. Was he just humoring her then? Was that all this was? A game?   


She should have never written her first message at the start.

***

_ 'You're right that I have every right to do that. I also have every right to respond to you, too. Unlike my wife, I used to believe in these journals, you know. And perhaps you can prove I still should.' _   


Gabriel contemplated what to do for a moment before licking suddenly far-too-dry lips. This was hitting on a tough subject but he didn't want to screw it up. He had to be careful both with his wording and with keeping his emotions in check. He could curse himself in that regard, however. It had been almost a decade, why was it still hard to talk about the elephant in the room?

_ 'We haven't found her yet. It's been years. I’ve accepted she must be dead by now. Am I not allowed to move on?' _ He glanced around, waiting a few moments before adding on to his response.   


_ 'I'm lonely.' _   


***

Her breath caught in her throat when she read that final line, wondering how to respond.    


Dammit, dammit,  _ dammit _ .   


Her vision blurred as watery tears filled her eyes. She tried to wipe them away, to stop any from falling, but a few still hit the paper. Would that transfer over?, she wondered.

_ 'If you’re lonely, then I can change that. Or at least try to.' _

If he’d let her, of course.   


_ 'I'm sorry, I guess it just hurt, seeing all those past entries. I suddenly felt like I was competing against a ghost but I suppose that’s silly, isn’t it?' _

***

Despite her hopes, her tears did in fact transfer over. Even if they hadn’t, however, he could feel her sadness just fine. It wasn't hard to sense particular people's emotions anymore. Over the years, he'd honed those skills quite well.   


_'You're upset.'_  


He contemplated how he should continue, wondering what best way to spin this. If he made her hurt too much she might be less likely to keep their exchanges going at all. If she was Ladybug then she also would be less vulnerable to an akuma, too. He needed to play it safe.   


_ 'You can love multiple people throughout your life, you know. You're not competing against her. You're an entirely different relationship. Yes, I still love her. I don't see myself ever stopping. That doesn't mean I can't love you, too. She's gone and I'd do anything to get her back, but it hasn't happened. She's still not here. But you are.' _   


***   


Marinette willed herself to stop crying at this point. Yes, she was upset, but now it was for multiple reasons. She had made a fool of herself by lashing out at her boss at work, she ended up doubting her soulmate and began to wonder if he was Hawkmoth, and in her attempts to find evidence to prove or disprove that, ended up learning just how much he still loved his wife. Marinette had to keep herself away from the page so she didn't ruin it, trying to collect herself before even thinking of responding to him.   


_ 'I'll be honest.' _ Her hand was shaky. Dammit, this was going to make her writing all wonky, and she hated that.  _ 'I wanted to try and find hints towards you. But you did a good job at hiding yourself.’ _

What did she even want to say? Something she didn't want to admit, that was for sure. She still suspected him enough to worry, but if she acted like he was clear of suspicion, maybe he’d slip up? Maybe if she said a half truth, that would be easier? Would it even count as a half truth? If she went for it, could she catch him in a half truth (or lie) of his own?  


_ 'I guess I've started caring about you more than I thought. I screwed up at work today while trying to show M. Agreste a fashion line. I got worked up over it. He even said that you might be Hawkmoth. How ridiculous is that? Just because you still find butterflies to be beautiful, it doesn't mean you're the man that has been the terror of Paris for years. After all, there’s no way someone as considerate as you could be that monster. He’s proven time and time again that he doesn’t consider those around him before acting.' _   


***   


_ 'What all did you tell him about me?'  _ Not that he really needed to know, but surely a soulmate in this position would be wondering. Besides, it was best to concentrate on that rather than the words that were  _ actually _ irritating him. There were far more monstrous people out there and it wasn’t like he wasn’t considering everyone else. He’d fix it all if he could just get that damned jewelry! She had no idea just what his plans were and-!

No, he needed to keep a cool head much more than he needed to defend himself, no matter how much he wanted to. She could, after all, be testing him. _ 'Did he just go off of the butterflies or did something else make him wonder? I'm guessing you had a fashion line designed around butterflies, then? He's dealt with accusations of being Hawkmoth in the past thanks to Ladybug. I imagine a line based entirely around them would come across as a risk to him too, you know.' _   


***   


When he brought up the accusations, Marinette hung her head in shame, feeling guilt prick at the edge of her mind. That was her fault, too. She had thought it could be Adrien, but then immediately thought it could be Gabriel instead (and had also brought up that accusation several times over after the fact). Dammit, why did she do this?   


_ 'You're right. It would have made him look bad after all of that. To suddenly accept a fashion line from an intern centered around butterflies? No one in their right mind would do it.' _ She just had to pick a safer theme for her debut work. Maybe one of her designs she’d decided against using for school. There were plenty around that weren’t rejected designs, just not entirely fitting of the assignment. She'd only return to the butterfly one if the time was right.   


Oh, who was she kidding? The time would never be right.

_'I said that you were someone I care about, I didn't even mention you were my soulmate until later in the argument.'_ Because that's what it was, an argument. _'I did have a line designed around them. I handed it directly to him, too, so people wouldn't throw it out before it could reach him.'_ Despite the tone of the conversation, she found herself recalling when he said he was glad she didn't attempt any _alternative_ methods to get it approved, suddenly finding herself doing her best to _not_ let those images invade her mind _now_.  


It  _ really  _ wasn't the time!   


***   


He could feel just how flustered she was, wondering briefly what exactly had caused the change in mood. Could it have been something he’d said earlier that day? Thinking back on it, he figured there were a few moments that could’ve caused the mood swing. Perhaps it was time to pursue a more teasing route now. Oh, he couldn’t wait to drop this one on her.

_'You argued with him and you're still employed?_ _He must have really taken a liking to you, then.'_  


Now, he could circle this back around to teasing. He could maybe even throw in some fake jealousy in there too, see how it would go. Best case scenario, he could take advantage of her attraction to him to get close both within the journals and within the office.   


***

That statement made her pause. 

And blush. 

And immediately shove her hands over her face to muffle panicked screaming as her mind once more tried to push the images from just moments ago back into focus. 

She didn't need to relive her crush on Gabriel Agreste. She really,  _ really _ didn't want to go through with that again! There was no chance in hell her fantasies would become reality. He seemed more irritated with her than attracted to her, after all.   


_ 'For all I know I am fired! I'm just an intern, I had to finish my tasks that day. I could go in tomorrow morning and discover I've lost my internship! There's no way he's taken a liking to me!' _

Oh no, now she was panicking. What if she ended up losing the best opportunity she’d ever gotten to pursue her dream?    


***   


_'No, no, no. You'd know if you were fired. He doesn't waste time.'_  


He could feel the embarrassment from here. God, she was so flustered. Good. This was going exactly as planned.  


_ 'You like tall, older men. If he started coming on to you, would I have reason to worry?' _   


***   


_'No, no, no, no!'_ If this was a face to face conversation, she would be waving her hands in front of her and praying that her blush wasn't too obvious. Stop the images, stop imagining any of that! How did the conversation even turn to this?! This wasn’t fair on her soulmate, anyway! What if he was the jealous type? She would only stay devoted to one guy anyway and that definitely should be her soulmate and not her _boss_ , of all people!  


_ 'Don’t be stupid, he has a son my age. A son I went to school with even! Plus he was married before. If he’s interested in anybody, it would probably be someone closer to his age. I'm not his type!' _   


***   


_'I have a son your age and I have been married before. I hope you realize your reasoning is a bit thin there. Besides, his wife was younger than him, you know.'_  


He chuckled, wondering how he could make this even more embarrassing for her. Or perhaps just more flustering.  


_ 'Funny how your reasoning against the idea is all on him and not how you'd feel about it. If he did, what would you do?' _   


***

His wife was younger than him? Why hadn’t she known that? Then, did that mean she actually could-? No, _STOP_ , stop thinking inappropriate things about your boss! He's your _boss!_ He's attractive but- _NO!_  


_'I don't know what I would do. I mean, well, okay, I may have sort of had a crush on him when I was younger and okay he's my type but I don't know what I would do! I don't know! Maybe let something happen as a once in a lifetime sort of thing, I wouldn't really want to pass that up.’_  


. . .  


_ Shit _ . She just said that. Why didn’t she think before writing?    


***   


_ 'I see.' _   


Gabriel paused. This was partly because the logical side of his brain said he should, if only to make her nervous. The emotional side of his brain, however, definitely felt a bit of shock. He’d suspected it, yes, but for her to come forward and confirm his suspicions? He wasn’t sure if he was excited simply because he was right...or if perhaps he wanted the same. 

He had a feeling he’d need a drink after this.

Glancing at his watch, he began counting down the seconds. He needed to give it  _ at least _ a minute. 10...9...8...    


***   


She waited. And waited. And waited. She nibbled on her bottom lip, wondering (hoping, really) that he was just taking a while to respond. Maybe something pulled him away from the journal? Maybe he had to go do something really quick? She wasn’t sure, but it just dragged on and on. Marinette got up to her feet, beginning to pace back and forth, still trying to reason that he wasn’t ignoring her, he was just distracted, right? The silence was getting to her though and she was biting at her nails now and _oh god_ , her day was just full of screw ups and she needed to at least fix this one before it became any worse than it already was!  


_ 'Not that I mean I would actually do that. I have you. I wouldn't want to do anything that would hurt you, and this would be the worst thing. Oh god, I'm sorry, forget I said anything at all!' _   


***   


Gabriel licked his lips, feeling like they were much too parched. Perhaps it was already time for that drink.

He got up and walked over to his cabinet, pulling out a bottle of scotch. He had a high enough tolerance that he didn’t fear his judgment getting cloudy if he had a shot or two, but he did want to calm down enough to consider his options properly. Sometimes, after all, he could find himself thinking _ too _ logically about the various situations in his life and passing up perfectly good opportunities simply because he wouldn’t pull his head  _ out _ of the game enough to consider everything. With the journals, however, he could give himself time to think before responding.

One shot down.

What did he want to come of this? Yes, enjoying how flustered she could get was one thing, but did he want to encourage the possibility of it going further? As long as it just stayed physical and didn’t ruin his chances at reaching his end goal, maybe it would be fine?

Maybe he could actually enjoy himself during all of this?

He brought the bottle and glass over to his desk, knowing that the wait was leaving Marinette extremely nervous. It would be best to not let her freak out too terribly much during this. Him showing too much hesitance could backfire, after all.

_ 'No, that wouldn't be the worst thing, actually. If you did, you'd have to tell me what happened so I could be sure to do better. How do you feel about that?' _   


***   


Wait, what?

_ What?! _

Where was a pillow so she could bury her face in it and scream? Why did he have to say something like that?!   


...Great, her brain was derailed by inappropriate thoughts again. Dammit.

_ ‘I’m not sure how to even respond to that. What exactly are you trying to say?’ _

***

_ 'I'm saying that while you can't be with me due to our circumstances, I'm not going to judge if you decide to do things with M. Agreste so long as you only keep it physical. While I want your heart, I'm not the boss of your body. I’d just like you to tell me what happens so I can aim to do better when I do reveal myself to you.' _

Yes, this was risky, but it kept him from having to reveal himself as her soulmate while also encouraging her to stay close to him outside of the journals.

_ 'We're still learning about each other. In the meantime, you can still enjoy technically being single. Just be careful and have fun.' _

***

Just be careful and have fun? She wanted to tell him to stop joking and teasing her, but... It didn’t seem like he was joking. He seemed completely serious. He was right that they were still learning about each other. After all, she had just delved through several past entries to try and find out if the man was Hawkmoth. Was this fair to him, though? Was he really okay with this or was he making a sacrifice for her own happiness?

_ ‘And you promise to do the same, right?’ _

***

_ 'Well, I could, but I have no one else I'm really interested in at the moment. Still, you intrigue me so much that I just want to find out everything I can, whether through my own actions or not.'  _ She didn’t have to know that his and Gabriel’s actions were one in the same. Besides, this also gave him an opportunity to possibly have something intimate without having to get feelings attached. As long as feelings weren’t attached, it didn’t feel like a betrayal. Sex was one thing, love was another. After so long, maybe being physically intimate with someone wouldn’t be so bad.

Maybe.

Even if he ended up not being comfortable following through, it could still prove to be a way of getting her to slip up around him due to being even more flustered around him than usual

***

_ ‘So you’re just going to watch how I am around others and how they treat me or something?’ _ At least, she was assuming that’s what he meant by all of this. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around someone being so nonchalant about this.

***

_ 'And how you respond, of course. Unless that is too much?'  _ He responded, paying close attention to her emotions to judge if he needed to back off with his approach at all. He wouldn’t want to come off too strong...or too uncaring.

***

_ ‘No, no, it’s not! I just wanted to make sure I knew exactly what you meant!’ _

Marinette sighed, tapping her pencil against her cheek before adding,  _ ‘But if it is M. Agreste that I do anything with, wouldn’t I have to sneak around with him? Just like you’ve been trying to avoid with me?’ _

***

_ 'You would. I mean, it could give you practice with hiding things. I’m sure he’d want to be very careful about this too if he chose to follow through. How do you feel about that?'  _ He hoped she wouldn’t question how he knew so much about Gabriel. If he continued speaking this way about himself, he’d have to come up with some sort of cover story for it. Perhaps he should figure that out now, just in case.

***

How did she feel about that? She should maybe feel like it was wrong, right? She would be sneaking around to sleep with her boss, and she did somewhat worry that he would think of it as her trying to get further in the company.

Gabriel’s comment about ‘alternative methods’ from earlier was still stuck in her head, after all.

_ ‘Uncertain. Mostly because of how it might look to someone who doesn’t know it’s a purely physical thing and not me trying to sleep my way to the top.’ _

***

_ 'Communication is key. Everyone needs to be on the same page and aware of what you both want. After all, I expect you to keep me as informed as possible too. Open communication is the only way these sorts of things work.’  _ He was suddenly glad he had experience in this area. Open relationships were not a new concept to him and even if he overall failed at them when he had feelings for his partner, he still could pull from experiences that were entirely physical. Besides, it wasn’t like he was even actually having to share this time. 

***

_ ‘I know I wouldn’t feel comfortable if he said I couldn’t tell you what was happening. I’d prefer to keep you in the loop, darling.’ _

If anything she was certain that she wouldn’t be able to tell anyone else in the company what was happening. Outside of her soulmate, of course.

_ ‘If anything does happen, you’ll be the first to know.’ _

***

_ 'I believe you.' _ After all, he would certainly be the first to know no matter which way she went about it. He just had to ensure she wouldn’t get involved with anyone else.  _ 'Just promise only M. Agreste for now. I'd rather know who you're with, dear.' _

***

_ ‘I promise.’ _ If she was asked, she would tell him honestly that she was only interested in the two of them right now.  _ ‘It’s a big enough risk to possibly do anything with M. Agreste, so I’d rather not make it even bigger by seeing others at the same time.’ _

She also would rather not know what kind of workplace rumors would spread if it got out, either.

***

_ 'It would be a big risk. What do you plan to do to try and seduce him, my little butterfly?'  _ Back to teasing. Now that everything serious was established, he could see how flustered he could get her once more. He couldn’t resist, after all. It was just too amusing.

***

Her cheeks flared up at the question. He couldn’t be serious right now, right? She could barely flirt, so even daring a seduction was practically out of the question! Why would he even want to know? Why did it matter? It wasn’t like she even needed to come up with anything, it wasn’t exactly going to happen anyway!

Except, what if it did? 

_ ‘I’m not sure, actually. That hadn’t really crossed my mind yet?’ _

***

' _ That's okay. I suppose you can just tell me if anything does happen. In the meantime... Do you mind if we draw together? I've grown to enjoy that.'  _ He wasn’t exactly lying, either. It was a hobby he hadn’t shared with his previous partners and he honestly liked sharing it with her. It made his attempts to get closer to her less like a chore and more like a truly enjoyable pastime.

***

The color wasn’t fading from her cheeks, but it wasn’t like he could see it. Besides, drawing with her soulmate sounded like a wonderful way to calm down. With a soft smile, her pencil met paper once more.

_ ‘I would love to.’ _


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a thank you to our lovely betas Pip and Remasa! You both are a wonderful help with making sure this fic is in perfect shape.
> 
> Also, Heather (SinfulPapillon) looked into what she could for French labor laws and internships in France, but we're both still confused by it and we're hoping that we're approaching this the right way. It certainly adds a new depth to this story though.

Marinette sat down at the table with a sigh, almost completely downing the cup of coffee she had brought back with her for her lunch break.

“Is there a reason he’s working everyone to the bone? I feel like I haven’t slept in a week!”

It might as well be true. Patrols, classes, work. God, it was too much sometimes.

One of the other interns sat down across from her, giving her a chuckle. "He especially likes to give more work to the newbies to make sure they get a crash course on how things are around here, but he really doesn't let up, to be honest."

“And I thought he was an asshole before,” Marinette muttered, moving to pull her food from her bag. She set a container of macarons on the table’s center. Stress baking meant extras for the other interns. “Maybe he’s just being extra harsh on me because I argued with him the day I turned in my portfolio.”

"That had to take guts, though. I can't ever see myself doing that. He'd probably fire me on the spot. Which, I know, would definitely be a feat without even having hired me, but I wouldn’t put it past him," the intern said, biting into his sandwich." He must really like your designs to take you on after that. That, or he likes you for  _ another _ reason. You’d better watch out for any creepy old man vibes." The intern winked before chuckling again. "Probably not, though. He has a stick shoved too far up his ass."

Marinette felt like she was about to choke on her food, attempting to hide her surprise with a cough. Why the hell would Gabriel like her? No, he just. . . He just wanted to get back at her for the outburst.

“H-has he even pursued anyone after his wife, though? He doesn’t seem the type to go after an intern who works under him.” Marinette blinked, belatedly realizing how her words might be taken. Fortunately, no one seemed to take notice.

"Probably not. Like I said, he's got a stick up his ass." The intern cleared his throat for a moment before continuing. This time, however, his voice came out as a near perfect impression of their current favorite asshole. "This is unacceptable! All of my employees are terrible even though I'm the one who hired them in the first place. All of their designs are absolutely awful. They're nowhere near the level of my duck-butt hair!"

She had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly. How an impression could be so spot-on, she had no idea. She certainly wasn’t going to stop him though. “You... That’s... Oh my god.” Her words came out breathlessly and between giggles, a grin spreading across her face.

"And furthermore, red pants will always be in style no matter what everyone says. Especially with white! I've been dressing like a candy cane for years and everyone loves it. The pants hide how much my ass bleeds. You can't keep a stick in there without bleeding some while you walk, you know."

“Oh god, he does look like a candy cane year ‘round, doesn’t he?”

"Now, look here, young lady, " he continued, "I didn't say you were allowed to have your own vision so you need to make candy canes stat."

She couldn’t fight the laughter this time, nearly doubling over where she sat. Thankfully, anyone else currently in the room was just as amused as she was.

“Do... Do you normally impersonate M. Agreste, Monsieur...?” She didn’t even know the guy’s name; a complete stranger was going to put an end to her career before it had begun by killing her with hilarity. 

He reached out to shake her hand. "Jay Villague. Just call me Jay. And, yeah, you'll find pretty much everyone here has heard it at least once. It keeps me sane." He laughed before going into the impersonation again. "Because everyone here needs to do more than humanly possible. And don't say it isn't humanly possible because I, someone who is entirely  _ inhuman _ , can do this much work, and more, on a regular basis."

She shook his hand, grinning widely as he jumped back into the impersonation. She wasn’t sure just how he managed to pull it off so well, but he had it nearly perfect. If he kept going like this, she wouldn’t be able to look Gabriel in the eye the next time she spoke to him and would just end up giggling uncontrollably.

Which, incidentally, wasn't long after. Just as Jay was about to go into another mockery, the  _ subject _ of said mockery walked through the door.

"Mlle Dupain-Cheng, might I see you in my office, please?"

Marinette jumped when Gabriel spoke, spinning around in her chair to look at him, her laughter dying in her throat. Oh god, hopefully he didn’t hear any of what Jay said. So much for laughing when the real deal spoke. She would probably need another round of that mockery again to survive after this, though.

The rest of the room had fallen into a hushed silence the moment he had stepped into the room and spoke, a few focusing on their meals and others trying to stick with working on any mini projects that they had potentially brought in with them. To them, their boss singling out one of them was  _ never  _ a good sign and they didn’t want to possibly give him reason to target any of them as well.  _ No one _ wanted to be on the other end of an angry Gabriel Agreste.

“Y-yes, M. Agreste, of course!”

Marinette glanced at Jay, who seemed far more interested in his sandwich now. She tried not to show her fear and disappointment as she gathered up her things (minus the macarons). With no other delays, she was out the door and heading to Gabriel’s office.

Gabriel walked along the hallway toward the elevator, as if expecting her to keep up without further instruction. His office was on a different floor, so they'd have to deal with the likely awkward elevator ride up, considering no one seemed to be waiting on it.  It was going to be especially awkward for her after the talk she'd had with her soulmate about the very man she'd be in the confined company of in said elevator. 

Once they were in the empty elevator, however, Gabriel soon distracted her from those thoughts with his serious tone. "You may not want to get too involved with him. He likes to be a major distractor and could slow down your progress."

“Huh? Who, Jay?” Oh god, he did hear the mocking, didn’t he? Had he heard her laughing at it? Oh, god, this was going to be a disaster, wasn't it? If she wasn't fired before, she certainly would be now! “I’ve only just met him today, M. Agreste. He doesn’t seem all that bad.” He seemed okay, even from that brief meeting. A bit eccentric, maybe, but weren’t some people going to be that way here?

Gabriel side-eyed her, considering his next words. "You have the potential to go far. He would, too, if he'd actually apply himself. He prefers to play the clown, however." He wanted to keep Marinette close, but he didn’t want to give her the wrong impression. However, he had acted rashly when he saw the company she was keeping. After all, he knew the views the young man had of him and he didn't want Marinette to start sharing them. If the man wasn’t so good at keeping  _ just  _ within the parameters of his requirements instead of fully falling short of expectations, he would have gotten rid of him ages ago. He’d been a thorn in Gabriel’s side for a long while and he wasn’t about to let an insignificant intern screw this up for him.

“I think he was just trying to wind down after a long day. And, M. Agreste, I won’t let him be a distraction. I might never run into him again after this, but if I did, it wouldn’t hurt for me to build my network here, would it?” She opened her mouth again but quickly closed it, fidgeting with her fingers slightly. Perhaps she had noticed she was getting argumentative again and stopped herself before it got worse. 

"He will hold you back. Trust me. If anything, he will convince you that you can't do as much as you can and act like my standards are unreasonable. My standards are exceedingly high, yes, but they are standards any other similarly successful designer would hold. If you plan to succeed in this industry, you need to make the right friends with the right connections, not the ones that will get you nowhere."

“I. . . I suppose.” She kept her mouth shut about how she had one person that possibly had the right connections in this industry. Since she still didn’t know his identity, though, she felt it best not to breathe a word about her soulmate working here. And Gabriel had a point about his personal standards. Standards she met, even if just for a moment, which earned her this internship in the first place. However, if he had these high of standards and Jay didn’t meet them whatsoever, why was he still here? Gabriel seemed to really dislike him, so why hadn’t he gotten rid of him yet? Had he not been written up enough? Could Gabriel not just fire someone without using a strike system? She wasn’t sure how to bring it up without ending up on thin ice herself, however, so she kept quiet. “You um... You wanted to speak with me in your office. Why?”

"I wish to see you in action personally. I have some time to myself to work on our designs for fashion week, so I thought I'd multitask and see your creative process. You have exceedingly good designs, but I wish to see if you could cut it in the industry itself by being innovative and timely enough to work on a deadline without sacrificing your quality. I decided to start on that by seeing your workmanship in person."

“You wanted to...? W-wait, are you serious? Why would you need to see it in person? It’s not really that interesting of a process.” Judging from his expression, she needed to step back, however. She went quiet, trying to figure in her head just what he could be thinking. There had to be someone else who had been an intern longer than her that he would rather review, right? Why did it have to be her? And in his office, of all places? Were they going to be  _ alone?! _

Why did they  _ have _ to be alone? Especially after the conversation last night? He wouldn’t know about that though….right?

Marinette did her best to push back her nerves. After all, this couldn’t be too bad, right? She had a chance to show him what she could do. “I-I mean, of course, M. Agreste.”

The elevator finished its ascent and he stepped out, not waiting for her to follow him. 

"Our spring line this year will have an emphasis on pastels, as it seems time to bring them back to the limelight, but I'm thinking we should also have more saturated colors as well to tie in just enough to the trends every else seems to be playing with. We must make sure not to stand out so drastically that it puts people off but that doesn't mean we should think inside the box either."

“Most designs I’ve seen for spring so far have florals, bright colors, and other, generic things- nothing unexpected. But to try and work them in together...” She was already going through ideas in her head, already trying to think of something that wouldn’t be typical to see at the spring season of Paris Fashion Week for that year. “Spring is also directly after winter.” She managed to maneuver her sketchbook out of her bag with minimal flailing as she walked. “Things that have died are now coming back to life. A rebirth cycle, really.”

He guided her to his office, opening the door to let her in. "Yes, yes. How do you plan to incorporate that, if I may ask?"

“From bottom to top.” She wasn’t even looking at him, and it was a wonder that she didn’t run into the door or anything else as she entered his office. She was entirely focused on designing.

No, not just one design. An entire line.

“I mean, it would have to be from the bottom to the top anyway. Life pushing its way up and all that.” She tapped the pencil of her eraser against her bottom lip. She could still make this elegant, sure, but she wanted some of it to stand out and some to still look soft and delicate. Tulle wouldn’t be too out of place then, right? If she made it with a proper secondary fabric then maybe…

"I look forward to seeing what you come up with, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. You may sit in that desk over there."

“Hm? Thank you.” She actually looked up as she navigated her way over to the indicated desk so she wouldn’t trip over anything. There was nothing worse than falling flat on her face during moments of inspiration.

Once sat at the desk, she began to sketch up more designs. She wasn’t sure how many outfits Gabriel was looking for, but she would come up with as many as she could. She put a few of the designs off to the side (ones that didn’t quite live up to her initial vision). If she looked at them later, maybe she could adjust them to fit the rest of her creations, but right now she just wasn’t feeling them anymore. They just didn’t stand out enough to catch the attention of Gabriel Agreste.

Gabriel kept subtle tabs on her, surreptitiously eyeing her from time to time as he sketched on his own designs in silence. He let  a soft smirk grace his features as they sketched in silence. Not only did he feel comfortable with her in the room, but he could practically feel the wheels turning in her head.

Granted, he could  _ literally  _ feel the wave of inspiration from her, so it wasn't that much of a stretch. Time passed. After a while, he set his own work aside, arose, and walked back over to her.

"Any favorites you have thus far?"

“Mm, a few.” Marinette looked up as she turned her sketchbook towards him, the page open to a few of the designs she had settled on. She had mostly atypical dress types, but she had still managed to throw in one lolita dress and a few suits that could possibly work with the theme. 

Each design had a front and back view sketched, and a few even already had notes scattered around for the materials that would be used.

"Hmm, do you not think the tulle is too risky here?" He indicated one of the designs, contemplating it as he looked at her. 

“Has it ever been used in this way before though, M. Agreste?” She pointed at the design, but noticed Gabriel's eyes wandering over to another of her pieces. 

"I feel like you need to step back from dress types that seem too costumey as well. While the lolita style dresses I’ve seen you draw are beautiful, they are not fashion week material. In fact, I would dare say they are not  _ Gabriel _ material whatsoever. While it is good to see variety both in your portfolio and here, I really don't think this particular style is suitable in this instance, nor is it on brand for my company. They come across far too childish, and we do not cater to children’s fashions."

She didn’t respond immediately, knowing he was right, and she was reluctant to give it up entirely. It was something she wanted to do more of but she understood where he was coming from. The lolita style was something she only recently took a liking to but perhaps wasn't the most professional style to bring forward. “I understand, but I do need to clarify something. Lolita is a style that isn’t actually meant to be childish but rather so extremely feminine that it can be empowering. It’s more like a protest to the idea that women are only appealing when they are more childlike. It’s a fashion for women and not a women’s fashion designed to appeal to men.”

Gabriel raised a brow, sighing. “Well, that’s not exactly a statement that is easily understood just by looking at the style. In fact, I’d say the opposite could come across. We want to make enough of a statement for the designs to get noticed, but we don’t want to go too far off-brand. If you want to do that on your own time, do so by all means, but not in your designs for me. Do you understand?” If something were to come of them and others find out, it wouldn’t do to have their age gap further highlighted and exaggerated by such a blatantly childish style- and attached so directly to both her and his brand at this stage. He couldn't tell her that exactly, but he could turn it down for now. 

She simply nodded and decided to move on, explaining her use of the tulle. “With the life springing from death concept, the tulle is a final barrier between the two. Kind of like when you see flowers blooming through the last few bits of snow.”

Gabriel nodded along as he listened to her explanation, thinking it over. "You know, I could see it as a possibility, though maybe with a different material for the dress itself. Are the flowers patterned on the textile or will they be sewn on separately?"

“I was debating on that, actually. It would be more impressive if they were sewn on separately, especially to really sell the effect the theme can present. We want them to really pop out.” Marinette tapped the eraser against her lip again. “To just have it be part of the pattern would be a bit. . . I don’t know, simple, I guess?”

"It would be too simple- especially with the use of tulle. However, if you used lace with the right pattern, it may work better if you wanted a more controlled effect. Are you planning for silk tulle, illusion tulle, or English tulle? Their effects will make a huge difference in how the piece is perceived."

She didn’t respond for a moment, weighing the options in her head. They all had upsides and downsides to them, that was certain. English and illusion tulle had some body she could work with, but the silk could make things far more elegant.

If she was making these for class and on her own budget, she would pick illusion for its cost-effectiveness, and she would also take a more youthful approach to the designs. But if this was to be a line she didn’t have to fund herself, then she could see herself using the silk to capture the more elegant side of things. Although, she could attempt to capture a youthful elegance with the English tulle, couldn’t she? Marinette bit her bottom lip, unable to look at Gabriel. She was taking too long to answer. But this wasn’t an easy choice! Something could go wrong, regardless of the fabric.

In the end, she decided, “English tulle. It has body like the illusion, but it still drapes well like the silk. Depending on the design, it could support the elegance of the theme or a more, ah, youthful image that might still fit.” This felt like a test- one she hoped she wasn’t failing miserably. He’d already had so many critiques of her work that she was waiting for the moment when he would dismiss her.

Gabriel tilted his head, squinting a little as he imagined the designs before him. After another moment of thoughtful silence, he finally spoke. "Hmm...yes, I like that. Then it can be versatile as well with its appeal to different age groups. Illusion might come across as childish while silk might be too subtle in the separation you want in the piece."

“Exactly. English tulle seems like the perfect middle ground to still fit the idea.” Oh, thank god, he liked the choice. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “It’ll probably help it stand out, too, and draw attention to the reanimation theme.”

"If you incorporate it correctly, of course." He looked back over the paper before pointing to another outfit. "Why cashmere here? I feel like it might be a bit gaudy with this design."

“It wouldn’t be gaudy if I was to do a different cut, perhaps. But cashmere works for when things can get windy out, and maybe even when you just need a heavier texture to the look.”

At least he was asking her as to why she was making these choices as opposed to trying to get her to change them. Plus, she was enjoying this one-on-one with him, away from prying eyes.

...Okay, that sounded way worse than she meant it to. “Think of it this way as well: you want to come out of winter and into spring feeling lighter and not weighed down by anything. Cashmere can work with the transition.”

This exchange was honestly very pleasant, he had to admit. He knew some of the ways people could go outside of the norm and make it work, but seeing a new designer already working outside of the box even while under the heavy scrutiny of the head of the company (that would make anyone nervous) was a nice change of pace. 

"Very good answer. Now, I must ask, do you really think we need this much floral print? Even with your theme, I'm sure you could be more diverse with your choice of patterns."

“Not all of them need the florals, no.” She glanced over her designs again. “Maybe... Hm.” Marinette moved to grab a spare sheet of paper she had set aside, flipping it over so she had a blank canvas to work with.

She began to sketch out one of the designs he had been looking at, but changed the cut and style a bit. Instead of florals, she went with scattering a few butterflies here and there in the design. There was, however, an obvious hesitation before she added them. Butterflies could be related to spring, right? This wasn’t a strictly butterfly themed line, so it wouldn’t seem out of place.

Gabriel raised a brow, making Marinette all the more nervous. "Perhaps. Most designers are still hesitant to add butterflies to their themes. Are you sure?"

Marinette felt her cheeks heat up a bit. “I-I wasn’t going to just use butterflies. I was, um, just thinking about what else might be seen or associated with spring, l-like butterflies, but I was also considering a design could have ladybugs, o-or bees. Just anything to break up the florals I had originally.”

"Probably safer to go with ladybugs if this ended up being your first line. Of course, being fashion forward is rarely safe, so I could leave that decision up to you." He smirked a little and she found herself wondering just how obvious her blush must be.

“Ah. . . O-of course.” She could maybe have hints of a butterfly motif. Not enough for someone to look at her and think that she condoned Hawkmoth’s actions, of course. Maybe if she had a line or two under her belt, she could introduce more butterflies in her work. Maybe even have a full line with that as the theme. But would it be worth the risk to have that as her first line? Especially before she could eliminate the possibility of Hawkmoth being her soulmate?

The thought made her shiver. 

She was snapped out of it when he reached across her to grab a pencil, stilling as his arm lightly grazed her shoulder as he picked it up. Her breath caught in her throat at the unexpected brush. What was he doing? What-

Before she could let her mind wander, he began to lightly draw on the design, adding some ladybugs between the butterflies. She felt her heart skip a beat as she watched, knowing he wouldn’t likely have any idea just what this was doing to her. After all, he had no reason to know just how she’d feel about seeing  _ Gabriel Agreste _ not only drawing on one of her designs, but drawing  _ ladybugs _ on it. Heat swelled within her with the combination of his proximity, his actions... oh no, she could even smell his  _ cologne _ .

"It could be a statement for war and peace as well, if you want to push even further." His soft words brought her back to her senses, focusing once more on the task at hand. She nodded in approval, giving him a gentle smile as she tried to mask her turmoil. She needed to focus. It was just so hard when she could practically feel his breath on her. 

“Life and death, war and peace. . . Big concepts for an imaginary fashion line. But I like it.” There were far too many fantasies coming true right here to believe that this could lead into another one. To have her own fashion line, this soon into her internship, was just too much. She was getting close to her idol in a way she never thought possible even if this was all it was likely to be. She needed to keep her expectations realistic.

"Oh? Who said it would be imaginary?" Okay, so much for realistic thinking. Was he serious? Oh wow, yeah, his tone was entirely serious. Her heart raced as she tried to process his words. It didn’t help that his arm would brush against her slightly as he continued to make tiny additions to some of the other designs. This felt like a fantasy overload. A line of her own? Her idol close enough that she could feel an all-too-tempting warmth? There was no way she could keep her cool during this. If this kept up, she might combust.

“I… I-I just meant. . . Y-you said you wanted to see my process, but you said nothing about the line actually being seen by anyone else.” After all, he said that he had some time between working on what he would be doing for fashion week, didn’t he? But he also brought up what was seen during the Spring Paris Fashion Week. And he let her completely run with an idea instead of shooting it down. She spun around in the chair to properly face him, her eyes widening a bit. “M. Agreste, you can’t seriously be thinking of an intern presenting at fashion week. Can you?”

"Thinking? Yes. Considering? It crossed my mind." He crossed out a few of her fabric suggestions, narrowing down the choices. Wait, was that a bit of a smirk? Did he know just how much this was affecting her? No, no, he must just be thinking about how shocked she would be about getting a fashion line. That’s all. "Yes, you're an intern. However, you're a very  _ talented _ intern. And talented enough for fashion week."

She knew she was blushing again, but it wasn't unwelcome. After all, she was being praised by her idol! It was okay to blush in this situation, right? However, he was also saying that she was talented enough to take part in fashion week. Which would mean her debut would be fashion week! Could she take that kind of pressure?

“S-surely someone else deserves it more, though,” she stammered out.

"Mlle Dupain-Cheng, do you think I hired you because you decided to argue with me in the lobby that day?" he asked, pausing briefly to glance at her and raise an eyebrow before resuming the sketching from before.

“I’ll admit, I didn’t quite expect to be hired on at  _ all  _ after arguing with you, M. Agreste,” she confessed.

"Yes, I normally would have had anyone else escorted out by my security guards."

Which was exactly what she had thought would happen. Instead, she was up here in Gabriel’s office, several months after the fact, and was working on designs to potentially show at fashion week.

“I do appreciate you for giving me this chance, M. Agreste, but why go against your normal instincts and hire me on as an exception despite my behavior?”

"I know talent when I see it. Your talent is worth the possible tiffs that could come with it. Unlike M. Villague and his...  _ impersonations _ ." He scoffed and rolled his eyes as he flipped to the next page, beginning to scan over the next few designs.

Well, that certainly confirmed that he knew about Jay’s form of amusement. She could only hope that Gabriel had yet to hear any of the worst bits, though it was unlikely given his apparent dislike of the man. What was worse was that she had been  _ laughing _ at it. Why was she still here again? Marinette turned to study her designs, mulling over more changes for them in her head. If this ended up being her debut, if these designs were the first thing anyone would see… She couldn’t help but feel excited at the idea and it seemed her excitement was contagious, since Gabriel seemed more focused on her designs instead of his own while she was there. 

The time passed by quickly. It wasn't long before they were pulling out dress forms and fabric to play around with and see what they could come up with. Marinette found herself going from dress form to dress form, working on different little details for whichever outfit she would be at. As much as she wanted to stick with one design to focus on, there were so many things she could do to change and make the design better.

“M. Agreste.” She turned to face him, quickly wrapping some fabric around herself in a mock up of what she was about to put on one of the forms. “What do you think of-?”

“M. Agreste.” Renee stepped into the office before Marinette could finish her sentence, halting when she caught sight of the both of them. “Oh, um, I didn’t realize you were… doing something.”

Gabriel glanced up at his receptionist, somewhat surprised to see her but quickly moving back into the cold professional demeanor he normally had as he approached her. "Yes, Renee?"

Marinette hurried to remove the fabric from herself and placed it on the dress form instead, peeking over at the two of them after a moment.

Renee glanced at the intern, catching sight of a bright blush on the young woman’s face. Marinette guessed from her expression pretty quickly that she was forming some less than accurate or flattering conclusions. After all, how close had they been when she walked in? How flushed was she? How pleased had their normally stern boss seem? No, she shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Surely the receptionist wouldn’t think that so quickly, would she? Why was she even worried? They weren’t doing anything unseemly! Except Gabriel barely designed with  _ anyone _ , let alone an intern, and certainly not  _ alone _ in his  _ office _ , of all places! If nothing else, it was suspicious. Oh no, this could turn sour pretty quickly, couldn’t it? 

When Gabriel approached Renee, she turned her attention back to him. “M. Agreste, you had a meeting today.” She paused for a moment, as if trying to gather up a bit of courage. “And that meeting was scheduled to start about fifteen minutes ago. You never arrived.”

"I see. Time must have slipped away from me. Tell them I will be there soon." He returned to Marinette, hands clasped behind his back, his barriers re-erected so swiftly as to cause whiplash. "I expect you to continue your work on this project and will require an update within the week."

“Wha- that’s- I- y-yes, M. Agreste, of course. I’ll be sure to report on my progress. Wh-what about my other assignments? Do you still need me to do those when I come in as well?” Part of her was hoping he would say no (though she was sure he wouldn't), while another part of her reeled at having distracted him so thoroughly that he was late to a meeting. Renee, meanwhile, gave a quick nod and ducked back out of the room, probably in a hurry to inform everyone that Gabriel would be arriving shortly.

"Yes, I still expect you to complete your normal duties as well. You may need to continue work on these designs at home in order to progress in a timely manner." He turned away, ready to walk out before he seemed to realize something. "You may go finish your break now. I must admit, I didn't expect to do this today, but that child's terrible sense of humor irritates me too much and I wanted to get back at him a bit by taking away his new source of amusement."

Great. She had school, patrols, work, and now an entire clothing line to work on for fashion week. She was going to die of sheer exhaustion at this point. Was it possible to simply inject caffeine into a person’s veins and not have serious risks? She’d need someone to cover her patrols, too. She hated asking that of the others, because she always wanted to do her equal share of the work, but she was beginning to wonder if she wouldn't be more of a liability if she didn’t get some rest. She’d already had to ask for help from the others more times than she felt she should have done. Still, she really wished she didn’t have to. They needed her, right? She was- Wait. Did he just say she could finish her break? The break she had just started when he showed up? Oh god, she didn’t even get to eat!

Suddenly, she stiffened where she stood, blood beginning to boil at the realization of what Gabriel had said in his parting words to her. This was all just to get back at Jay?! Every moment had just been some ploy to punish a guy Gabriel disapproved and disliked? Why should he matter that much then? Why do something so elaborate just to get back at an intern who does impressions?

“Are you serious?! Oh my  _ god _ ! Boss or no boss, I'll wring his neck!”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a huge thanks to our betas Pip and Remasa. Your commentary during the editing stage was a joy to read.

The following day, Nathalie kept giving Gabriel odd looks as they worked. It was almost like she was trying to get a read on his thoughts. Her glances didn’t go unnoticed by the designer, however,  who was waiting for when she’d finally say what he knew was on her mind. She wisely abstained until they were alone in his office to do so. “I heard you were fifteen minutes late to your meeting yesterday and that the receptionist had to go get you… and she found you with the new intern.”

"I had a feeling you'd heard about that. You aren't as subtle as you might think, after all," Gabriel replied, not looking up from his work as she addressed him. Whether he was talking about the looks she would give him or the emotions he could read off of her, he didn't say. 

He possibly meant both.

“I do hope you aren’t letting a  _ pretty face _ distract you, sir.”

"You misunderstand my intentions. If I'm distracted at all, it’s by her designs. I'm considering having her work at Fashion Week. "

“You’re considering-! Sir, the last time you did that was a few years ago, and that was with an intern who had been with the name for  _ years _ . This girl’s been here for a few  _ months _ at best.” Of course she'd be suspicious, who could blame her? However, he preferred trying to dispel her worries rather than tell her his overarching plans. He knew she'd oppose them, after all. 

"I took her on after she decided to have an argument with me in front of some of my employees. If she does that in front of some, she’d might as well do so in front of them all. You know how words spreads. Do you think I'd do that if her talent wasn't of a superior quality?" Gabriel replied, giving Nathalie a bit of a glare. "You should know me better than this, Nathalie."

Nathalie grit her teeth and lowered her gaze. “Yes, sir. Are her designs for the event fitting with the theme at least?”

"She has her own theme but it fits well enough. Here." He pulled up a few photos he'd taken of her sketches before handing his tablet over to his assistant for her to see.

Nathalie walked over so she could get a better look at the sketches, her eyes widening a bit once she had a proper look. “Are you sure she’s an intern? Because this feels on par with several established designers.”

"I feel she’s not only on par with many of them, but above them. She’s always had the ability, she just honed it further over time. Remember the bowler hat competition several years back? The hat she designed in  _ one afternoon? _ " Gabriel asked, taking the tablet back in order to work on his own designs some more.

“Yes, but- wait.” Judging from how much her eyes widened, realization had quickly dawned on her. “The same girl who won your competition is now interning at your company?” She tilted her head to the side, obviously considering het next words very carefully. “Sir, she used to go to school with  _ Adrien _ . This could be considered a form of favoritism.”

"Her designs  _ are _ my favorite, so I suppose there  _ is _ some  _ favoritism _ at play if people want to twist it that way. However, controlling how people twist these things is what I have  _ you _ for, isn't it?" He steepled his fingers, looking Nathalie over once more. "Control the situation and dispel any rumors you can."

She gave him a brief nod and began tapping away at her tablet, her face impassive but her jerky motions betraying her irritation. No doubt she wanted to exhibit some more obvious signs of frustration in his presence. Regardless, she maintained a professional facade, no doubt already double-checking her sources to be certain that no rumors had spread. “I’ll make sure to put a stop to any if I hear them. You’re currently lucky that no one has come up with something yet.” 

She waited a moment before changing the conversation to another direction. “On a different note,” she said, turning back to Gabriel. “I’ve arranged for you to have lunch with Adrien today.”

Gabriel had been just about to go back to his designs when he looked back at Nathalie with barely contained shock. "You  _ what? _ "

He knew she took advantage of every chance she had to do whatever she could to irritate him when she felt it appropriate. Even something as small as a change or addition she would make to the schedule could throw him off entirely. His eyes narrowed. She knew she could do it as much as she liked and there was nothing he could do about it. She knew too much. He couldn't fire her and they both were aware of that fact. The worst part was that she would seize advantage of that and use it as often and as mercilessly as she liked, much to his dismay. She’d been doing it for years now. No doubt she would claim it was a perk to the job.

“I arranged for you to have lunch with Adrien,” she repeated, calm and collected in contrast to his mild befuddlement.  “Surely, you had nothing else important planned.”

Maybe she had a secondary motive. Maybe it involved reminding him as subtly as she could of his goal. Gabriel wasn't a fool. He could tell exactly what Nathalie was planning. Sure, it could be construed as simply pushing for more father/son bonding, but he knew better. She wanted to remind him of Marinette's age and connections with him  _ already _ to deter him from attempting anything more. Marinette was, after all, a friend of his son's, a friend who was the  _ same age _ as his son. Still, he wasn't about to let that derail his plans. There was too much to gain here. 

"I see. When will he arrive?"

“He should be arriving within an hour. He was more than happy to have some of his schedule shifted around to spend some time with you, you know.”

Nathalie had been sure to schedule this lunch during a time that Gabriel couldn’t weasel out of. Yes, fashion week was coming up, but she knew her employer well enough to know that he was more than likely finished with any work for the show he'd have thus far.

"I'm sure he was. How much time did you allot? I should know if we have time to go to a restaurant or if I should make other accommodations." 

She also knew by now that in this situation, he wasn't likely to turn it down anyway. This was a challenge. One he wasn't about to let her win. She tapped on her tablet to pull up the schedules she had rearranged.

He knew his schedule would be trickier to manage, from what he briefly recalled of the timetable shown to him that morning.  She would have to push back certain meetings or reschedule them entirely to carve out any feasible chunk of time for them. Anything critically pressing would most likely have to be addressed personally by him immediately after lunch.  Would she really want to stress herself over this luncheon?

“About two hours, give or take.”  That answered his question, then. He definitely would have plenty to occupy his time with this afternoon. Nathalie probably wanted him to keep busy so he wouldn't have time to see Marinette. She wouldn't stop him entirely, though. He had a goal, and maybe he'd tell her later when he was more certain of his suspicions. For now, he'd play this little game of hers and see where it went.

“If you’re still thinking about going to a restaurant, I could set up a reservation for the two of you at one?” she suggested. There was still time before Adrien would arrive, and he hadn’t dismissed her yet.

Gabriel nodded. "Yes. If you could arrange for one of Adrien's preferred restaurants that I would still enjoy, that would be appreciated."

“Of course, sir.” She tapped at her tablet again, confirming the reservation with the restaurant. “He is looking forward to this, you know, especially since your attention normally would be completely focused on fashion week.” Gabriel could see the slightest hint of a smirk tugging at her lips, spiking his irritation further.

"I'm sure he will see it as a miracle. I never allow time while preparing for fashion week.” He exhaled slowly, attempting to force himself into a calm demeanor once more. After a moment, he glanced back over to his assistant, his eyes cold enough to easily send chills through the spines of anyone without as thick of skin as she had. “You should know I'm not happy with this arrangement, but I'm sure you don't need to be told that."

She allowed that small hint of a smirk from before slip through at that before returning to a neutral expression. “It might be good for you as well. It could give you some time to think over your plans for fashion week and decide on any changes when you come back.”

"And by 'plans' and 'changes', I'm guessing you refer to my intern." Gabriel replied, deciding to call out her lack of subtlety.

“Maybe. But I also recall how you did completely change up a line for one year, even though it was dangerously close to the first day of the event. So, I’m sure there’s other needlessly risky situations that could be prevented if you sat down long enough to give it some thought.” He was too stubborn to remove Marinette from the show, and he suspected Nathalie knew this.  But he also had yet to officially confirm if his intern was even participating, and most of what she clearly had overheard from some of the interns focused more on the apparent favoritism.

Gabriel nodded, going back to his tablet. "You can get back to work now. Send him in when he arrives, and we'll go from there."

He knew she was hoping he would rethink his actions after this. They didn’t need distractions of any kind, and he could tell that she didn’t want to have to deal with finding ways to get the tabloids off of his back. He cared very little what others thought of him, but dared not to convey that attitude to the public. He didn't need the kind of bad press that could create. Frankly, neither did Marinette. 

That was an issue for another time, though. For now, he had lunch to attend to and a son that he saw possibly less now than ever before. Now that he'd started leaving the house more often to hang out with friends, Adrien was home maybe half the amount of time he used to be and it was often just with the intent to sleep. Well, that and to cover up his  _ extracurricular _ activities. 

Extracurricular activities the both of them chose not to address. 

***

A bit of time had passed before a hesitant Adrien knocked on Gabriel’s office door to interrupt the designer. He could only hope that his father didn’t change his mind and find some excuse to get out of lunch. Although, he supposed that if he did, then Nathalie would have told him when he arrived. There was a soft sigh from within before his father spoke. 

"Come in."

Adrien stepped into the room, a faint smile on his face. Okay, good, so he hadn’t found something to use as a way of getting out of this. Maybe he actually needed some time away from his work?

“Nathalie was saying she got us a reservation for lunch.”

"She did. She seemed to think I should take a break from fashion week preparations and that we should use that time to catch up." Adrien could tell his father didn't want to leave his work right now. The last thing the designer probably wanted at the moment was social interaction, but they both knew Nathalie would just reschedule it over and over if Gabriel avoided it. His father saved all of his progress and turned off his tablet, tucking his phone into his pocket before he got up and grabbed a coat.

“How are the preparations for fashion week going, Father? Do you need me to take part in it again, or. . . ?” He really hoped he would say no. He wanted to just hang out with his friends during fashion week and not have to walk down a runway again.

"I have made proper preparations. Though, you may find some incentive  for you to come back this year. At least, temporarily," he added. There was the hint of a smirk on his father's features, leading him to wonder just what was going through his head. His father was  _ never _ coy.

“What do you mean?” Much of his life, when it came to fashion week, Adrien found himself participating as a model to show off whatever it was that his father had been working on recently. The past year or so, though, he had managed to get out of being a part of fashion week. So what was his father talking about this time?

"I will explain in the car. For now, how are your studies going?" The abrupt change of topic hinted that his father didn’t want to discuss the reasons until they were both out of the building.  Secrets had a way of slipping out in this industry, and they both knew the importance of discretion. Adrien allowed the distraction as his father locked his office behind them and headed into the hall toward the elevator.

He followed after his father, waving to employees that he recognized. He knew that Marinette had started an internship here as well, but he didn’t see her when he came in. Maybe if he had time after lunch he could surprise her?

“My studies are going well, Father,” he said, knowing that was what his father would want to hear. His studies were always doing well. He’d been taught from a young age to excel, after all. If there was anything he was good at by this point, it was booksmarts and athletics. If only he had as much confidence in his ability to connect with people. Maybe then he’d feel like his studies mattered enough to really talk about. Not that he’d say that, though.

"Good. I expect only the best from you. Did you fully decide on your area of study yet?" Gabriel asked, stepping into the elevator.

“Not yet, but I have narrowed it down a bit.” Down to some choices that he was certain his father wouldn’t approve (at least two of them), but still he hoped. He just needed to make that final choice.

"Narrowed it down to what? I could tell you which ones would be successful choices right now, you know. That could help with the decision." Gabriel pushed a bit, obviously not wanting to be left in the dark. Adrien knew Gabriel wanted what was best for him in his career, and while Adrien had made it clear he didn't want to take over the company when Gabriel retired (aka when he died because the man wasn't likely to ever stop working), he knew his father still wanted him to be successful. Adrien suspected that if he didn’t obtain his own financial success, Gabriel would consider himself a failure as a father. After all, while he was emotionally distant, he had made quite a lot of effort to prepare him for success in the areas he  _ did _ know well. 

“Uh, it’s still sort of a broad range. I think I should narrow it down to maybe two before I start making any final decisions. But um, I’m somewhat leaning towards teaching.”

He just wasn’t sure which subject he wanted to teach. Part of him wanted to work with kids, though he worried if he'd know how given his upbringing. Everyone he knew had reassured him that he was wonderful with children, but doubt still lingered in the back of his mind. 

"I see. I suppose it would depend what kind of teacher you'd be, but I don't believe they are paid very well. It would likely be a very average income and you should strive for more. You have the potential to be better than that and you know it."

“I know that, Father. But again, I’m still not completely decided. I might end up finding something I enjoy more that would be more suitable for me.” Despite these words, he still liked the idea of being a teacher. He found he didn't really mind being ‘average’. The less time he spent in the limelight the more comfortable he'd started to feel. It was definitely not what he was used to, but he could certainly adjust to having fewer eyes on him at all times. Yes, he knew how to rock it, but that didn't mean he always wanted to. There was much more to him than a pretty face, after all, and he wanted people to acknowledge that. Granted, if word got out that he was Chat Noir, he would  _ never _ be average. But if the world stayed in the dark and he could retire from being a superhero to become a normal, average teacher? Yeah, he’d take that. 

Before he knew it, the doors to the elevator were open. Adrien followed Gabriel outside and toward their car where their bodyguard was waiting patiently. 

"Well, I would aim for higher. You deserve better."

“Yes, Father.” There wasn’t going to be any point in arguing this. In the end, he was going to let this be his own choice, and he wanted it to be something he actually  _ enjoyed _ . Adrien waited until they were all in the car and on their way to the restaurant before speaking again. “You said something about me having a reason to come back to fashion week this year. Why?”

Gabriel nodded in response, getting settled in before tugging out his phone to keep up with any updates that might happen while he was out. 

"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng might be presenting a line this year. You seemed enthusiastic last time you modeled one of her designs and, if I remember correctly, you two are friends, right?"

Adrien’s face fell at first when his father pulled out his phone, but almost as soon as Marinette was mentioned, he immediately perked up.

“Yeah! We’re friends. So she’s going to take part in fashion week? Was she asking for me to model or just that I would be there? And I’m happy you’re giving her this big opportunity, Father! She  _ really _ deserves it.”

"I'm still considering it. The worry is that it'll look like favoritism. Her designs are exquisite and certainly deserve to be shown, but she's been at the company for only a short time while my other interns have been there longer. Not to mention, of course, that she  _ is _ friends with you. It could look bad. I'm still weighing the pros and the cons, but I'm sure that if we do follow through with it, she'd appreciate it if you modelled any menswear she might design." He held his phone in front of Adrien, pictures of what must have been Marinette's designs on the screen. "Perhaps you can see why I'm considering it so soon."

Adrien knew better than to snatch the phone from his father’s hand (he really put a lot of emphasis on his own privacy, even if he often disregarded Adrien’s own), but he found himself tempted to do just that to get a better look at the designs. Adrien had seen more fashion weeks than he could count and had been in a decent number of them as well, but he couldn’t think of one of them that had ever produced designs like the ones Marinette had sketched out in these pictures.

“They’re amazing.  _ She’s _ amazing. Father, you have to let her show these at fashion week!”

"And if they try to say that she only has a line so quickly because perhaps she's sleeping with one of us?" Gabriel asked, and Adrien immediately zeroed in on the focus of his father’s concerns. Adrien stiffened up when his mind wandered a bit too much after Gabriel’s question. There was a part of him that wanted to blush when his father mentioned that, but he quickly shoved down the imagery that had begun to invade his thoughts. It was wrong of him to think of Marinette like that. He wasn't even  _ with _ Marinette! Besides, she was likely preoccupied with a soulmate like everyone else their age. Still, no one would dare say that about her, right?  She was just too nice and too wonderful and she wouldn't deserve those kinds of rumors spread about her! She had talent, she-!

He halted those thoughts with a sigh.  His father was right. If she got a line this quickly and debuted it at Paris Fashion Week, they would definitely think she was doing something to gain an advantage, and sleeping with one of them would most certainly be the popular assumption.

His thoughts whirled.  He knew Marinette possessed extraordinary talent.  He discovered that back in their first classes together when he glimpsed her sketchbook full of designs.  It only solidified when she won the competition against her peers. Hmm, maybe… “Then... Hold another contest? Or pretend to consider the other interns before selecting her?”

Gabriel lapsed into silence, as if taken aback by the suggestion. Had he not considered that? Adrien couldn't help the bit of pride that sparked in him for having possibly thought of a solution his father hadn't, but he forced himself not to show it. 

"I really hated running that contest, if I'm being honest,” Gabriel murmured, staring absently out the window.  His faraway expression told Adrien all he needed to know about his father’s undoubtedly sharp memory of that day.  “Still, it would be a good cover up..."

“If we can use it as a way for this not to look like favoritism. . .” Adrien concluded with a sigh leaning back against the plush leather seat. “I know that she wouldn’t like people thinking she was only here because one of us just handed it to her. She'd want to earn it.”  He folded his arms and awaited his father’s verdict.

Gabriel snapped himself out of his reverie as he focused his attention back on his son,  mentally noting the sea of emotions the boy was wading through during their conversation. Maybe he should have asked about Marinette before. This was...a bit more than he'd expected and he hoped it didn't turn into more. He would hate to be in the middle of  _ that _ . 

"She definitely seems like that type, yes. Is she always so...fired up?" Gabriel rolled his hand a bit in the air when trying to come up with the best word for it. He was curious if she was normally so easy to rile up or if it was just him. 

“You should see her with Chloe sometimes. They might be friends now, but they still get under each other’s skin.” Adrien shrugged, hesitantly fiddling with his ring. “So I think it just depends on the person. She doesn’t like liars, or cheaters, or anything like that.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, trying to not laugh. She didn't like liars, hm? That was even more proof that the journal had likely paired them as antagonists. Interesting. Perhaps he was right, after all? What was he saying? Of  _ course _ he was right. There was  _ no way _ they were meant to be anything else. 

"So, she's friends with Chloe? I didn't know that."

“Yeah, they absolutely hated each other several years ago. But over the years, something changed and now they have a kinda rocky friendship. They never told anyone what happened.  I think Marinette started to consider there was more to Chloe than meets the eye, but the friendship still seemed to happen all of a sudden. One day they were at each other’s throats, and the next day, Alya saw them on a shopping trip.”

That was certainly a development, to say the least. Not many people considered there could be more to people like Chloe and yet Marinette had? He wasn’t sure if that was going to simplify his plans or complicate them. "I'm guessing that makes things easier on you. Chloe has not proven to be the best at getting along with others, after all. It must be nice having someone else who gets along with both of you." 

“It is nice.”  A fond smile appeared on his son’s face.  “I hope that one day Nino and Alya can get along with her as well. But with how often she takes trips and spends time on dates, I don’t know how likely that is.” He turned to look out the window for a moment before glancing at his father again. “How has Marinette been doing at work, anyway? She must be doing great, right? I can't imagine otherwise.”

"Yes. She actually keeps up and pushes herself above and beyond. I've, admittedly, already taken a liking to her. She's my most promising intern in years."

Adrien couldn't help but grin, clearly ecstatic that his hard-to-impress father liked her, as approval from him meant a clear shoe-in on the path to success.  “That’s great! And it makes even more sense that you would have her present at fashion week. You used to do that with the best of the best amongst your interns.”

"I will hold a contest, like you said. I don't want to deal with the accusations that could come otherwise. She is quite young, after all."   He noticed Adrien react when he mentioned Marinette’s age and he knew his son would be wondering why he brought it up. Marinette shouldn’t have to deal with how vicious the tabloids could be if the wrong thing was said to them, and both of the Agreste men knew that.

They finally pulled up to the restaurant and Gabriel glanced over at their destination and sighed. Adrien managed to visibly hold back his excitement when he saw where they had gone to. He knew it wasn't one of his father's favorites but he clearly didn't care.With his busy schedule filled with  school and photo shoots, he probably hadn’t had a chance to go lately if Gabriel had to wager a guess. Adrien glanced over to him, his face twisted almost as if he expected his father to start complaining, but when Gabriel noticed how happy the choice made him, he relented immediately. Adrien couldn't help but smile at his little sacrifice. Gabriel knew it was one way he could show that he cared. 

“At least it’ll make it look like you’re trying to pick fairly instead of just immediately giving her the spot. Knowing her, though, she’ll do well enough to still win this.”

"Well, I suppose, to go along with that cover up, we shouldn't talk about her while in the restaurant." Gabriel replied as they rolled up to the entrance. He slid out and waited for his son to accompany him.

“Of course.” He knew Adrien could easily provide several things to keep a conversation going. After all, he was already starting to launch into a story about a fencing match he’d had with Kagami earlier. Gabriel always enjoyed those. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more, thank you to our wonderful betas, Pip and Remasa!

_ After every gig, he buys us all drinks. I don’t normally agree to drink but whatever. Felt like a good day to. He said I need to ‘lighten up’ so lets see how he feels about me when I have a few shots in me. He called my other drinks too ‘girly’ (I liek drinks that taste GOOD, are guys not allowed to have that?) so I was detrmind to show him I could take more. He keeps saying I’ll have a hedache but what does he know? My tolerence is much better than his, I’m sure! Even if I get a hangover, at  _ ~~_ lest _ ~~ _ least I’ll beat him! Ha! I won’t regret a thing!  _

_ Was there a test tomorrow? Huh...Nevrmind, I’ll figure out later. _

_ He’s already making a fool of himself, but that’s nothing new. I’ll just keep my mouth shut and talk here. They can’t call me drunk if I only show it here.  _

_ I bet you’re pretty. Or you could be hansome! I don’t have a preference. But handsom can also be pretty. You know what?  _ ~~_ Your _ ~~ _ You’re pretty handsome! There, all better! Either way, I’m sure I’ll love how you look. Oh, and I bet kissing you will be amazing! I imagien it a lot, you know. I wonder if you taste sweet, maybe spicy? Salty? You probably wouldn’t wanna kiss me right now, I probably taste  _ _ like vodka. Not so fun, haha. _

_ Oh god, he’s starting up  _ ~~_karoke_ _karake_~~ _ karaoke. I know he’s gonna make me sing. He figured out I like to sing when he came over the other day. I was an idiot and sang inthe shower! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! He’s been trying to form a band ever since, but I don’t wanna! Oh god, he’s coming over. Okay, bye! _

***

His meet up with his dad was actually pretty pleasant. Yes, there had been some awkwardness but he'd grown to expect that. His father always seemed a bit out of his element when he wasn't simply being a boss or playing a role he'd already practiced and fully planned out (like how he acted at social gatherings and meetings). Adrien noticed that, the more awkward Gabriel seemed to be, the more genuine he was. So, he welcomed that behavior around him and even encouraged it to an extent. After all, he still felt like he barely knew the man underneath, and those slightly uncomfortable moments were his glimpses behind his emotional walls.

When Adrien caught sight of a very familiar face at the office, he snapped out of his thoughts and excitedly rushed over to her. "Marinette! Long time no see!"

Marinette, so surprised by the unexpected yet familiar voice, fumbled with the assorted bolts of fabric in her grasp. She had to return them to whichever workroom they had come from, she wasn't sure which. One of the other interns didn’t know how much they were going to need, and as soon as they were done, she was the first to offer returning the rolls.

“A-Adrien!” She struggled to keep a hold of the fabric, her face flushing slightly from embarrassment. Oh god, he hadn’t seen her fumble, right? Please, let him have not seen her fumble!

Adrien chuckled as he approached her, giving her a soft smile. "Still as clumsy as ever, I see. Would you like some help?"

“Y-yes, still clumsy as ever!” She laughed, peeking at him from between the rolls. Even though they didn’t see each other often, he  was still so handsome, and his smile was still so bright, and- Focus! Did he offer to help her? “Huh? What, no, no! Psh, I’ve got these,  _ totally! _ But, um, I wouldn’t mind the company?”

He covered his mouth as a laugh threatened to bubble out. "And still as stubborn as ever, too."

She frowned, playfully sticking her tongue out at him. “Come on. I’ve got a few floors to go before these fabrics are back home. Maybe we could use the time to catch up?”

"I'd love that, actually." He held out his hand. "But only if you let me take some of those."

“Come on,” she sighed, but found herself smiling. Same old Adrien, as kind and generous as always. Marinette handed him one of the rolls and motioned for him to follow her. 

She walked ahead of him, glancing over her shoulder as casually as she could, both to look at him and to make sure he was following. Even now, he was still so dreamy and gorgeous and wonderful and perfect and. . . How could she feel so strongly for someone who wasn't her soulmate? Ooo, maybe he was a vampire! Then all those old journal entries would make sense! But then, maybe that would make Gabriel a vampire as well. How old would that make them? That could make either of them her soulmate, though! Oh god, was she attracted to centuries old men who wanted her blood?!

No, no, that was ridiculous, even if it made some sense. . . And if the miraculous and magic were real, then maybe vampires were real, too? Oh, dear god, she was attracted to blood sucking monsters!

Adrien hummed a little as they walked along, enjoying her presence for a moment before speaking. "So, Father says you're doing very well. I think he actually likes you."

Her cheeks flared up, and she immediately turned her attention away from him to make sure that she wouldn’t trip over anything because what did he mean that his father liked her?!

“D-does he?” Marinette squeaked, praying that he didn’t notice her flush or the fact that her voice raised a few octaves. It didn’t help that she recalled just how close Gabriel had been to her the last time they spoke and-

"Yeah, he kept talking about your designs the entire car ride. He should, though. Your ideas have always been amazing, Marinette." He gave her another bright grin. "I haven't seen him that excited about someone else's creations in years!"

Aaaaand she tripped over her own feet at those words, just barely righting herself before the entire load of fabric dropped all over the hall floor. Her heart hammered in her chest, and god, she could only hope that Adrien would assume she was just clumsy again.

Adrien was by her side in an instant. "Woah! You okay? Let me help you up." He took her hand gently, guiding her back to her feet with an encouraging smile. 

“I-I’m just trying to prove that I’m cut out for this!” She exclaimed, hoping to continue the conversation from before without focusing on her fall. 

"You're just as cut out for this as the fabric you work with, Marinette.” He winked, as if silently emphasizing his play on words.  “Trust me. Just don't push yourself too hard, okay? I've seen you take on far too many things before, and you need to take a break every once in a while, you know?"

“Yeah, I’m fine, I-“ Oh, he was holding her hand. Sure, they’d held hands before, but that fluttery feeling never quite went away any time they did. He was holding her hand, and okay, maybe she was a bit closer to him than she initially thought, and he had that wonderful smile on his face again, and-

Why couldn’t  _ he _ be her soulmate?!

“I take some breaks, Adrien,” she said, suddenly defensive.

"Well, if that's true, how about we go get some coffee? I know this nice little cafe-"

"That she can surely check out  _ later _ , Adrien. She's got a lot to do today."

Marinette blinked, turning to see Gabriel. Oh no, he looked incredibly pissed. He looked almost as if he could stab them with the icicles his chilling glare could produce. When did he get here, though? He'd been so quiet Marinette hadn't even noticed him approaching. Wait, was the vampire thing real then? Vampires could be incredibly quiet, right? What could a vampire do besides drink blood and turn into bats though? Be seductive and handsome, right?

Fuck, she was so screwed if they were vampires!

“M-M. Agreste!” Marinette yanked her hand out of Adrien’s. “I was just bringing these bolts back when your son arrived and-“

"Yes, I'm sure. Would you mind picking up the fabric you’ve carelessly scattered on the floor? Preferably, before someone steps on them." Oh, right! The fabric! Oh god, how could she forget the fabric? They were still all over the floor and surely they were expensive if they were part of Gabriel's inventory. How could she have let them even touch the floor in the first place? This was bad! 

"A-ah, sorry, Father! Of course!" Adrien pulled away from Marinette to bend down and grab the fabric, trying to roll them up as neatly as he could.

“Sorry, sir.” Marinette helped Adrien with getting the fabric back up, her hands trembling just a bit as she attempted to not brush against him.

“I also thought that most of my tasks for the day were done,” she said, standing back up when the fabric was once more in her arms. “What else is there for me to do?”

"I planned to ask for you to come by my office once you were done. After all, you usually stay late. I wasn’t aware that I had to make an appointment to schedule a meeting with my own employee."

Oh god, she was going to be alone with him again?! And if it turned out he was a vampire, then he could use that opportunity to drink her blood, or-! What was she thinking? Of  _ course _ Gabriel wasn’t a vampire! She was spiralling into a panic. He probably just wanted to discuss the fashion line! Did he have to point out that she stayed over, especially after Adrien asked her out for coffee?

“Of course, M. Agreste.”

"Ah, I'm sorry, Father. I thought she might be free. It can wait until another day, then." Adrien turned back to Marinette, his smile back in place. "Raincheck?"

Marinette giggled, sure that her blush was permanently set on her face. “Yeah, raincheck.”

Gabriel's eyes narrowed as he watched them and quickly turned to walk away. " _ Now _ , Mlle. Dupain-Cheng."

Marinette snapped her attention away from Adrien, nearly giving herself whiplash from it. “Y-yes, M. Agreste! I’ll see you later then, Adrien!”

A heavy sigh left Adrien as he waved her farewell. He almost had it: the date he'd wanted for so long. Why did he always have the worst timing? He released another long-suffering sigh when they were out of sight. Maybe she’d call him later- once this day was finally over. That was probably just wishful thinking, though.

***

Gabriel didn't let her trail too far behind as he made his way to his office. He hadn't really prepared anything for her, but perhaps if he acted quick on his feet, he wouldn't need one. He found himself in a predicament now. Adrien and Marinette were both getting flustered around each other. Both emitted the emotional impression of two people mutually pining for each other but neither taking that extra step. They both would certainly have an easier time getting together than Gabriel ever would with Marinette. That was a problem- a problem he couldn't afford to leave alone. 

What was he thinking? If anything, he could still get close if she got with Adrien and he could maybe even manipulate them both into giving him their miraculouses. No, it would be too risky to encourage them to be together more often. They could overpower him as a team, so giving them the means to be a team at all times would not be helpful at all. He was going about this the right way by getting close to her on his own. It was his best option. 

It wasn't jealousy. Of course it wasn't.

When they arrived at his office, he locked the door and looked her over once more. Why did she always incite such heady intoxication once they were alone? No, he needed to dispel those thoughts and enact his plan. 

"What are your intentions toward my son, mademoiselle?"

“Huh?” She hadn’t been expecting that. She thought he wanted to talk about the fashion line, or maybe give some sort of indication that she was going to be part of fashion week or. . . Or something- not this, whatever this was. Marinette swallowed, glancing around before letting her gaze settle back on Gabriel, only to look away again when she felt like she was staring at him too long. Every time they were alone, she blushed like a schoolgirl! Okay, maybe that’s what she was since she was technically a student in university, but she shouldn’t be flustered by him like this!

“He’s my friend, M. Agreste.”

"Do you have any intentions beyond that friendship? Be truthful; it's very important that you are."

He walked over to the desk and leaned against its face, beckoning her over before crossing his arms.

She hesitantly approached him. Was her former interest in Adrien going to make her internship difficult? No, he probably just wanted to make sure she wouldn’t use his son to get further in the company.

“I. . . I might have wanted more in the past, M. Agreste. But that’s not how I feel anymore.” Mostly.

"I see." His nostrils flared just the slightest amount as he stared down at her with narrow eyes. Silence hung in the air before he stood straight up once more, his hands clasped behind his back. He was all business. She knew when he did that, he was the opposite of relaxed. It was as if the act of putting his hands behind him like that was an outward demonstration of the erection of his emotional walls; he always seemed so much more formal. "I suggest you keep it that way.” Marinette mentally noted that his tone of voice certainly didn't imply he was merely  _ suggesting _ . She hated to know what he'd do if she didn't follow said ‘suggestion.’ “I would also implore you not to have any one-on-one outings with him, friend or otherwise, until your line goes public and gains success. Many would sooner twist those outings with him as the way you got your line produced so soon. They will twist things if you're caught in a seemingly compromising position with either of us.  Do you understand?"

Wait, he was. . . Trying to protect her from rumors? Oh, the scenarios her mind immediately conjured of being caught in any sort of position with Gabriel was. . . Yeah, no, she’d save those for when she was home, thank you very much.

“I understand, Monsieur. Is that why you locked the door this time?”

“Yes, exactly,” he nodded, momentarily shifting his eyes to the door then returning his attention to her before hesitantly placing a hand on her shoulder.  "We don't need another person walking in on us alone. I will inform Adrien of this as well, in case his intentions are as I suspect. If you wish, you can stay here and continue working on your line until I can confirm he's left?"

“Thank you, monsieur. I will stay. Perhaps the next time I talk to him, I can convince him that the trip to the café should include our other friends?” Hopefully that would throw any suspicion off of them. She didn’t want Adrien’s name dragged through the mud because of her. Hell, she didn’t want Gabriel’s name tarnished, either.

He nodded, giving her the smallest semblance of a smile. "I'll admit, I didn't expect to have your company this afternoon, but I'm not opposed to it."

She blushed and she gave him a shy smile in response. Well, Adrien did say that Gabriel liked her. Perhaps she was just good company and a good designer then. There was no way that meant he was attracted to her too, right?

“I’m not entirely opposed, either, sir.”

There was a warmth in the room that he couldn't quite explain. Not a sexual warmth or even excessively excited warmth, just...comfortable, like wrapping up in a blanket on a cold day. He wasn't sure what caused it, but he didn't mind, and it seemed like Marinette didn't either.

Maybe having her around could be beneficial in calming him down as well. Not everything needed to be an attempt to provoke, did it? Not that he'd stop doing that, but he wasn't against encouraging this warmth either.

"You can stay as long as you need. I'll just be at my desk."

“Thank you, M. Agreste.” Her smile was still in place as she went about the room, gathering up what she needed to work on one of the designs.

Eventually, she ended up sitting by one of the dress forms, fabric draped carefully around it, and a piece of paper in her hand as she reworked one of the designs. She would occasionally glance over at Gabriel, averting her gaze if he ever looked at her. She didn’t expect to be so comfortable around him.   She couldn’t really explain it.

But she liked it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more, thanks to Remasa and Pip for being our betas and helping us get this chapter out!

_ Everyone had heard of the sleeping princess, locked behind a thicket of briar. There had been many who passed by the sleeping kingdom that belonged to her, unsure of what to even do. _

_ “True love’s kiss!” the fairies claimed, sending tale of their sleeping princess through all of the waking kingdoms. “True love’s kiss from her soulmate, and the curse shall break!” _

_ So came royal suitors from all sorts of places. First came the young princes sent by their fathers to awaken the sleeping beauty and join their families. _

_ But their kisses did nothing. _

_ They were followed by nobles who had only heard rumor of the sleeping beauty, and merely wanted to see if she truly existed. If they managed to make their way through the briar thicket, then they could easily make their way through the cursed castle to find the princess. _

_ Most were satisfied to just see her. Others tried their hand at true love’s kiss. _

_ Still, she would not awaken. _

_ When the curious ones left, the men with far more sinister intentions arrived. A sleeping princess who they could wed after awakening with something as simple as a kiss? They could claim her kingdom as their own after the wedding! _

_ Once more, she would not even wake from their kisses. _

_ The fairies seemed to lose hope once they watched the sinister men leave. They just wanted to see their princess awake again. They wanted to see her smile. _

_ Finally, a lone prince came. He too had heard the tales of the sleeping beauty, but, unlike the rest, he came because he had felt some sort of pull that tugged him toward her kingdom. _

_ He made his way through the thicket, ignoring the scratches they left upon his hands and face. He made his way through the castle, following that mysterious pull. _

_ Upon entering the princess’ room, he didn't see just a princess exactly. _

_ He saw the girl who lived in the forest with her aunts, a girl he had felt this very same pull towards before. _

_ He crossed over to her bed, hesitating before leaning in to press his lips to hers. _

_ When he pulled back, her eyes slowly opened, a faint smile forming on her lips when she saw him. _

_ “I knew one day you’d find me.” _

\- Sleeping Beauty, written 1697

***

_ 'Today ended up being really, really long.' _

Now Marinette was in her workroom, journal in front of her and a pencil in hand. She had just arrived home after taking the time to text Alya and let her know that she wouldn't make it for the dinner and a movie night they planned with the other girls.

***

Gabriel blinked, looking at the page and feeling a bit confused. It was hard not to take her words personally. Perhaps she just meant how long she’d been away from home? That was understandable. But the underlying irritation he felt from her made him continue to second guess. 

_ 'Mine seemed to go by too quickly. What made yours so long, dear?' _

***

_'I thought I was done for the day, but then M. Agreste held me over and spoke with me before we actually worked on any designs,'_ she wrote, sighing to herself.

The day was practically over. She might even have managed a coffee date with Adrien before meeting the girls if she'd been able to go home when she planned and just- Damn him! He didn’t even  _ intend _ to hold her over, he just did it! Sometimes she wondered if the man even thought before acting when it came to her.

***

_ 'Isn't that a good thing, though? You're more likely to get further in the industry, and quickly, if he wants to work with you more.' _

Marinette’s frustration felt palpable now. The source of that frustration, however… It couldn't be him, could it? They'd been in such a good mood when they were together... Did he miss something?

***

_ 'I mean, sure, it can be a good thing. But I was done with my tasks for the day. I was supposed to go out with friends. We had plans and everything!' _ She growled at the page, teeth bared as if she was actually face to face with the source of her frustration. She bore down possibly a bit too hard on her page, her lines thicker and rougher.

Tikki looked away from her cookie to stare at her chosen with wide eyes, a bit surprised by the anger. Rather than say anything, however, she chose to wait quietly to see if she needed to interject or not.

***

He glanced at the window in the direction he felt her emotions, confused and even a bit offended. Why would she be so disappointed and frustrated now when she seemed to be enjoying herself earlier? He just didn't understand this at all.  But he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

_ 'And here I thought you'd like being alone with M. Agreste any chance you could. What plans did he interrupt?' _

***

_ 'I was supposed to go get dinner with some of my friends, then we were all going to the movies. I sort of didn't realize until after that my time with him had cut into when I could have been getting food with the girls.  I ended up having to cancel entirely because I was so tired and it was pointless to join them just for a movie. Part of the reason I wanted to go out was so I could catch up with my friends, some of whom I hadn’t seen in months because of our schedules, and he just ruined it!' _

She shook her head, glaring at the fashion week designs that seemed to taunt her now.

_ 'Plus I might have had the chance to go out for some coffee with someone, and that's when he suddenly made the claim that I had more tasks to do!' _

***

_ 'The coffee someone wasn't part of your friend group?' _

He tried to ignore the flash of rage that threatened to overtake him. She may not have meant to let it slip, but she not only excluded Adrien from her plans with her friends, but she was also only now showing annoyance at her change of plans. Why would it only matter now unless it only mattered because it was Adrien?

***

_ 'Well, he wasn't part of the original plan because I made the dinner and movie plan with my girl friends. The coffee thing was going to be quick, I'm sure.' _

Actually, now that she thought about it, hadn't there been other times that he had  taken her away from others to give her some other tasks?

***

_ 'For a second there, I thought maybe you'd decided to go on a coffee date with your new boyfriend.' _

***

_ 'What? I don't have a boyfriend.' _ What the hell was he even talking about? She didn't even say anything about being attracted to who she was talking about, just that it was a guy. Hell, she didn't even say that it was Adrien either!

_ 'Pretty sure if I went on a coffee date or even had a boyfriend, I would have told you.' _

***

_ 'Forgive me, I only meant to tease. Are you okay?' _

***

_ 'I don't know, I just... This isn’t the first time it's happened. Whenever I seem to be having a fun time with someone, M. Agreste arrives and then proceeds to, well, isolate me. So, I guess the answer is no… I’m not okay.' _

In doing so, he managed to find ways to discourage her from being around others so nothing bad got spread around. Or so he claimed.  Why would he bother doing that though? She was just an intern! Sure, it made sense to tell her to be careful with his son, but to stay away from the other interns, too?  Actually, did any of the other interns even get the same lecture about propriety as she did?

Wait, could he be. . . ?

***

Gabriel took a deep breath, glancing around him. She was starting to notice, wasn't she? He needed to keep her from getting close to others in order to have the best chance he could with seducing her, but now it seemed like maybe it was backfiring on him. Was he pushing her away with this behavior? If so, then why did she seem so happy to be there after he'd done it that day?

Ugh, why was she so confusing? Maybe if he teased a bit more it could help. He only hoped he could turn this around before it became an actual problem. 

_ 'Maybe he likes you? He seems like the possessive type, after all.' _

***

Maybe he likes her? Hang on, Adrien said something similar, didn't he? Sure, he probably only meant M. Agreste liked her designs, but it could be more than that.

Especially now.

Her soulmate was also very adamant that Gabriel liked her. He also encouraged her to sleep with him and-

. . . No. No, they can't be the same, right? But she knew one thing that Gabriel could be. So, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to test and see if this actually  _ was _ Gabriel.

_ 'Possessive, yes. Almost like he's jealous that I'm with others and not him.' _

***

Gabriel leaned back from the journal with a scoff of derision.  "Jealous?” he exclaimed aloud, “Ha! Oh, please! If only you had any idea. But it can be jealousy if you like. I don't mind playing around with that."

Nooroo stilled mid-bite, a half-eaten gummy bear in his grasp. He stared at Gabriel,  raising an eyebrow at his Master's sudden break of silence. Not to mention, of course, that the kwami knew better than to believe that. 

Gabriel noticed his expression, glaring. "Don't you start."

"Start what, Master?" Nooroo replied, finishing up his treat before looking back over the words he'd written. "She's catching on, don't you think? What will you do?"

"Well, try to manipulate it to my advantage, of course. I have some tactics up my sleeve, after all."

Nooroo's expression fell for a moment, obviously wishing his bearer would just make it simple and come clean. Gabriel ignored it, however, turning to continue the conversation in his journal. 

_ 'If you get that impression, maybe it's not so bad? You like him, right?' _

***

_ 'And then what happens when I talk about you? I still intend to meet you at some point, but if he is jealous and possessive, he might not want that.' _

Of course, this was all assuming he even did anything with her. Besides, after their conversation in his office, she seriously doubted he would want to risk being with such a young intern.

An intern the same age as his son.

***

_ 'Well, then he'll have to deal with me, now won't he?' _

***

_ 'But this isn't right, or healthy! The way he's acting, it's like I can't spend time with anyone! I had to cancel on friends, and then he also told me not to be seen alone with his son because of rumors that might spread!' _

She groaned, resting her head in her hands for a moment. How often was this going to happen? She worked too hard; she tried to keep up with school. Hell, her patrols were keeping her from people, too! It had been ages since her last night out, and Gabriel ruined it!

She had been planning this for so long with everyone; had been so excited when her schedule finally lined up with her friends’ so they could do this. And then  _ he _ just had to come in and pull her away from it! Sure, he didn’t  _ know _ he did it, but  _ goddammit _ , this wasn’t the first time he had done it either! It was like her every waking moment now was spent in class, on patrol, or with Gabriel!

***

Oh, _great_. She claimed it wasn't _right_ or _healthy_ , as if it was a moral deficiency rather than just a difference in their approaches to a relationship. If only she'd just said she had other plans-! Was he going to have to deal with the black and white thinking of a childish know-it-all who thought she knew everything? Of course he would. Why hadn't he anticipated this? If she was Ladybug, then _of_ _course_ she would think like this. 

So hypocritical! Possessiveness wasn't okay, but wanting to seduce your boss was? Not to mention getting angry about something she hadn't even expressed was a problem before? His own blood began to boil.

_ 'Do you expect it to be healthy? No relationship is entirely healthy. That's a fantasy! Besides, you're the one who wants to sleep with him despite your ages and positions. Is that really any better?' _

***

_ 'Not to the point of isolation! I still want to go and hang out with my friends! I want to actually have some semblance of a life! And I might have had little fantasies of sleeping with him, yes, but I haven't once acted on any of it. You're the one who keeps saying it's okay, but would you really be okay if I suddenly just stopped talking with you because he ordered me to?!' _

This wasn't what she wanted. She wanted, if she was being honest, a fairy tale romance with her soulmate. She wanted him to be someone who treasured her and wanted to always see her smiling. Someone who loved her, no matter what. She wanted to instantly fall in love with her soulmate and feel that connection everyone talked about. She wanted to marry him and have a family with him. Hell, she wanted it to be  _ easy _ when it came to her soulmate. They wouldn’t have arguments, they would always get along, they would always be  _ happy _ .

Instead, she ended up with someone years older than her who only gave her tiny hints to his identity and told her it was totally fine to sleep with the man they both worked for. Instead of peace and happily ever after, she got frustration and disappointment.

***

He sighed, glancing at Nooroo, who gave him a look that could only mean 'I told you so, dummy.' Nooroo made no move to say it aloud, however, obviously not wanting to welcome his Master's anger. 

With a groan, Gabriel tried to figure out what to say. He wanted to keep her affections focused on him, but he was obviously being too overbearing. He needed a way to get what he wanted without pushing her away. 

"I'm really out of practice, aren't I, Nooroo? I don't even know how to make a woman like me anymore."

Nooroo was quiet for a moment before hesitantly looking back up at him. "Master, you can't  _ make _ someone like you. Especially if that someone is qualified to be Ladybug. Marinette has a strong personality like you. She isn't the type you can just manipulate and bend to your will. I know that's what you've grown used to, but in this situation you may have to...you know..."

"What?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow, knowing that the kwami was likely trying to avoid saying it. 

"...You may have to... compromise?"

***

Marinette didn't think anything of the silence that followed at first. She figured that he was just trying to think of what to say, that maybe he was reconsidering the whole thing about telling her it was okay to sleep with Gabriel. After all, if he wanted to meet her, and whatever they had now became something more, it wouldn't be a good idea if their boss had become possessive over her.

The silence continued for several minutes. No sounds of creating a fresh line on the paper, no words rising up from the page to tell her whatever her soulmate was thinking. Maybe. . . Maybe some important matter pulled him away. Yeah, that had to be it! He was a busy man, so maybe it had to do with work. Or his son! Maybe his son needed to talk to him about something. That could easily be what was going on as well!

Unless it was none of those things.

He. . . He couldn't be trying to get in touch with Gabriel, right? Sure, she had guesses that her soulmate was the jealous sort too, but now that they'd discussed their boss’s own jealousy and possessiveness, there was the extremely off chance that he was contacting him and telling him to stay away from her! But she couldn't stay away from him if she was supposed to do fashion week! And her soulmate might also lose his job because of this!

And yet. . . Both men. . . They couldn't be the same person, right? They were so similar. It would make a lot of sense. Why else would her soulmate be so adamant that Gabriel liked her? Why else would he bring up Gabriel being possessive and also show some possessiveness of his own by saying she could only sleep with Gabriel? And the fact that, even with permission, any normal person could feel jealousy towards whomever their partner was sleeping with at the time. . .

"Could they really be-?" No, she couldn’t jump to conclusions, since the traits did match Gabriel but also matched others at work.

_ 'Is everything okay?' _

***

Gabriel had been about to give Nooroo a piece of his mind until he heard pencil against paper again. With another sigh, he simply glanced at his kwami before resigning himself to his fate. 

_ 'You’re right; I wouldn't be okay with that.' _

***

_ 'Then why keep telling me I am allowed to sleep with him if he could become possessive?  He is the type of guy who can make both of our lives miserable if he wants to. I won’t jeopardize your job because of this, and I certainly don’t want my internship to be any more difficult than it already is.' _

Unless he was suggesting it because they were the same man. Hiding his identity would make sense then, since it would cause an enormous scandal. Plus, the traits her soulmate had listed out for her matched Gabriel far too well.

***

Why couldn't she just go along with this? Why couldn't she just stick to his plan? Instead, she had to be argumentative, and he was far from the mood for that.  _ 'Because he wouldn't be able to keep it up. Unlike him, I can stop anyone and everyone from taking you for themselves. If I choose to, of course.' _ It wasn't until the words were on the page that he realized he'd written without thinking, getting caught up in the heat of the moment. Dammit, he was supposed to be trying to get closer to her, not scare her away! He was supposed to be playing the part of one of the regular employees, not someone who'd have the power to be a threat to the CEO.

Stupid, stupid,  _ stupid! _ And he was sure she was right there. There was no point in erasing. She'd likely already read it. 

***

He could. . . Stop anyone and everyone? Her blood ran cold at those words, her mind flashing to the terrible possibility that her soulmate was not Gabriel, but was Hawkmoth. Or even  _ both _ . 

She gulped. What could she even say? Maybe. . . Maybe she could try to redirect this to a safer topic? If Hawkmoth really was on the other side of her journal, she couldn't lose her resolve. If anything, it could be an opportunity to get closer to her enemy and unmask him once and for all. Now was not the time for fear! It was the time for action. If he wanted to act this way, perhaps playing into it a bit was the best course of action. 

_ 'Oh? Feeling a bit possessive yourself now?' _

***

Well, that was… not the response he expected. Hadn't he felt fear from her just a moment ago? Okay, nevermind, maybe he'd been too paranoid about what he’d written. He needed to calm down. Nooroo nudged at his arm, tugging Gabriel out of his thoughts. One look at the kwami’s eyes and he could tell just what Nooroo was trying to convey to him. Gabriel rolled his eyes, but hesitantly gave in. If this plan was going to work, he needed to keep her close. 

_ 'A bit, yes. I'll admit. However, I'll try not to let it get overbearing. It's been a long time since I've dealt with this. So, let me know if I go too far.' _

He glanced back at Nooroo, who nodded encouragingly. Gabriel sighed before continuing. 

_ 'And perhaps that's what you should do with Gabriel.  Let him know it's gone too far and that you don't appreciate it. Who knows? He may have no clue he's doing it.' _

***

_ 'I probably should have done that sooner, huh? I just didn’t because he’s my boss. But I'll be sure to let him know. And I'll let you know if you go too far as well, dear.' _ Whether he was Hawkmoth or Gabriel, he seemed to be trying a compromise. Would either of them ever compromise? Maybe she was overthinking this. 

_ Things are going to be okay _ , she thought. 

It did little to quell her concern over her soulmate's identity. That was not likely to go away until she'd narrowed down any and all possibilities. So, until she could do that, she only hoped that her suspicions would turn out to just be the result of an overactive imagination. With how much she had started to feel for him already, she desperately wished for him to be anyone  _ but _ Hawkmoth. Fighting her soulmate for years. . .  It spelled doom for their relationship if it was true. She didn't think she could handle it if her soulmate was Hawkmoth, so for now she'd just let herself enjoy this conversation and indulge in a fantasy world where none of these worries even existed.

Her suspicions would eat at her if she didn't act on them, she knew, but for tonight she could try to not think about them. 

***

How to word this and work it into his favor? He had an idea, but he wanted to make sure he presented it in a manner he could still use for his original plans.

_ 'I should mention that I have a slight possessiveness kink. This may...  explain some things.' _

***

A . . kink? What could he mean by that? Sure, Marinette knew what kinks were and had a few of her own. But a kink related to possessiveness?

_ 'Tell me. Please, darling? You know I love learning more about you.' _

***

Good, he'd gotten her curious. Maybe he could turn this around after all. 

_ 'The reason I keep pushing you to try things with Gabriel specifically is because I doubt he'd form an emotional attachment, which makes him ideal for this. You see, I like those I'm with to try things out with others so that I can then “reclaim” them as my own by proving I'm better and making it so they won't want to belong to anyone else. That's why I'm okay with you being with him, just so long as there's no emotional attachment and you tell me what he did. Then, I can be sure to outperform him and claim you as my own. Does that make sense?' _

***

She felt her cheeks grow warm. This. . . This was a topic she never really expected them to get to, what with their age gap and all. Plus she wasn't even sure if he'd want to do anything that was, well. . . And again, it was purely because of their gap! No other reason at all.

_ 'I think so. You want me to sleep with him, tell you every little detail, and then you--' _

Why was she hesitating to write the rest?! Why was this making her so flustered?!

***

_ 'And then I do everything he did, but better.'  _ He replied, smirking to himself a bit.  _  'Fuck you so well that you may even forget about him entirely.' _

Yes, there was a part of him that was still doing this with his plans in mind, but there was also a part of him that felt a long forgotten type of adrenaline rush. Not only had he not talked like this to anyone in years, but he hadn't dealt with the arousal that could come from the suspense of introducing specific kinks in  _ decades _ . The mere act almost made him feel young again. 

He licked his lips, an eagerness filling him as he waited for her response. There was a pang of fear that she may not like this, or any kind of dirty talk, but until her emotions indicated otherwise, he was going to keep himself calm and enjoy the exchange.  

***

She dropped her pencil, her face absolutely burning up as she read his words.

He wanted to- but then that meant he actually- Oh, fuck she was probably going to need a cold shower later.

_ 'I get the feeling you've pictured this moment for a while.' _

***

_ 'You could say that. I've been waiting to hear about when you finally act on your fantasies so I can start planning. Maybe next time he shows possessiveness, you give him a legitimate reason to feel possessive. Make him want you as his own while simultaneously making sure he knows you belong to me.' _

***

_ 'A legitimate reason?' _ Didn't he just say she should tell him to back off? Then again, maybe he wanted her to wait until he got his chance to reclaim her?

Ugh, this was all confusing and yet. . . She found herself enjoying the conversation.

***

_ 'Right now, he's acting possessive without even doing anything with you, right? If he's going to act that way, then he should have at least some reason to, yes? But then you can make sure nothing actually happens until he understands your boundaries... and what I'll do to him if he doesn't respect them.' _

***

She felt a chill run down her spine at that. He. . . He wouldn't hurt him, right? Oh, what had she gotten in the middle of?

_ 'Of course. I'll make sure he knows, but you have to promise me something in return. Don't hurt him. I'm not okay with that. I'm not just going to set boundaries with him, but you too. Don't worry about protecting me. I can handle myself.’ _

***

This would be easier if she were more passive, but he had to admit to himself that he liked her assertiveness.  _ 'Yes, of course. I understand. Now, if you don't mind, I think I have a good pastime that could help lighten the mood.' _  He knew a change in topic would be good for them both and it seemed a good time to set it in action. 

***

_ 'I don't mind at all, darling.'  _  She wondered what he was going to suggest, her mind already imagining new outfits to co-design with him.

***

_ 'How about you tell me about those fantasies you have?' _

***

Uh… what now?  Her brain screeched to a halt.  She thought he was going to suggest sketching! Marinette was about to question why he would want to know them but a quick glance at their last few sentences reminded her of the exact reason he would have to even bother with this question.

_ 'There's one involving his desk. The door is locked, so we won't be interrupted or caught, but he still tries to keep me quiet.' _

***

_ 'I see. And what does he do that makes it hard to be quiet? Hm? Details are good.' _ He couldn't help but feel hot, his heart pumping faster as his adrenaline spiked again. His mind was already overflowing with imagery of the hypothetical situation, leaving him wanting more. He only hoped he could one day make that situation a reality. 

***

She swallowed, her handwriting a bit shakier now.

_ 'He's ruthless. He won't slow down, and he keeps whispering in my ear to tease me. He doesn't put his hand over my mouth, instead keeping it--' _

Nope, that would be a bit much to add. New line, new line! 

_ 'It's like he's trying to make me scream, but he won't let me.' _

***

He chuckled to himself, looking over her words. Yes, this was a much better conversation to have. He'd much rather tease her and rile her up like this than deal with an argument. 

_ 'So, you like the idea of sneaking around in public and trying not to get caught?' _

***

_ 'Yes. No. Maybe. I'm not sure! Even without the fantasies, the things he does are already enough! Those stupid little glances and every damn touch! It's almost like he KNOWS he works me up every time we're alone and--' _

Oh, fuck, did she just say all that?

***

_ 'Oh?' _

He chuckled again, receiving a look from Nooroo as the kwami observed their interaction. Gabriel almost expected him to be embarrassed but remembered just how old his companion was likely to be. This was probably just another regular human encounter for him. 

"Do you mind?"

Nooroo looked back up at him, quiet for a moment before it dawned on him what his master wanted. "Ah! Yes. Sorry, Master." He flew over to the other side of the room to continue snacking. Gabriel continued writing in the journal. 

_ 'So, he already gets you worked up just from that? You must have a pretty overactive imagination if that flusters you. I wonder what goes through your head.' _

***

_ 'What? No, it's not overactive at all! M. Agreste is just--’  _

_ ‘That is, he--’ _

_ ‘He's infuriating sometimes, and I have to restrain myself from doing something we might regret! If anything, HE might be making a move before I do! He's just always so close sometimes and it's almost too much.' _

She took a breath, trying to steady herself and not think of Gabriel nearly pressed up against her. She could save all this for later. Preferably when not writing to her soulmate.

_ 'And don't think I haven't already imagined what I would be telling you if something were to happen. I may have spent a few nights with those thoughts, actually.' _

***

He couldn't help feeling proud of himself in that moment. Everything was leaving a lasting impression. Despite her frustrations with him, she was still taking the bait. 

Now, it was time to stoke the flames a bit higher. 

_ 'I'd love to know what you'd tell me, dear. Could I get a preview?' _

***

God, this was mortifying. Despite that, she continued to write.

_ 'I'd be able to tell you where he touched me, where his lips lingered, if he even contemplated leaving a mark and that you should leave one to show that I'm yours.’ _ She could feel her heart starting to beat faster as if it was about to burst out of her chest.

_ ‘How he would pull me close, probably be whispering in my ear and making me tremble from that alone.’ _ She started to feel some of that trembling even now as she thought about it, her breaths coming out strained and heavy.

_ ‘How-’ _ The warmth she felt earlier on her face began to spread out and move lower, her thighs squeezing together as even as the images she was conjuring began to become a bit much.

_ ‘Nope, nope, stopping now, NOPE, you're going to be the one getting me worked up this time, and I have no outlet!' _

***

_ 'No outlet? You poor dear. Nothing to use on yourself? Nothing to watch? To read?' _ He hesitated a moment, then pounced.  _ 'To draw?' _

He could feel how worked up she was getting and wondered why he hadn't used his powers for this sort of conversation before. This was just too fun!

_ 'Maybe I want to get you worked up.' _

***

_ 'That isn't what I meant by no outlet, it--' _

She tightened her grip on her pencil when she read that line again. Draw. . . Was he really giving her that opening? Did he even expect her to draw something? It was tempting now. Her embarrassment didn't fade, but she suddenly found herself determined. She wouldn't be the only one flustered. Hopefully.

_ 'Would you like that, dear? Since we can't meet in person just yet, of course.' _

***

Oh, was she actually going to do something? He sat up in his chair, getting closer to the journal with a smirk. If she did...

He didn't feel tired anymore. That was new. 

_ 'Impress me.' _

***

_ 'With pleasure.' _

Finding a blank space that seemed large enough, she started sketching, not holding back any details. If anything, it was a relief to finally get one of the images from earlier out of her head and to transfer it to paper. Hopefully he would enjoy what he was seeing.

***

He gave her time to get her piece mostly drawn, finding it intriguing. How long had he gone without wearing a smile like this outside of his lair? He couldn't rightfully remember. 

_ 'You're not drawing enough of your curves. You look softer and more womanly than this. Here, let me show you.' _

He began sketching beside her, beginning to draw out another version of her form, laying back, legs spread, arms above her head...

***

She froze, unable to look away. Was that how he was imagining her right now? Were there other times he imagined her like this? Or in other situations?

She should say something. Or do something. Or just. . .

It  _ looked _ like her, yes, but it didn’t  _ feel _ like her. Sure, she thought that her soulmate would find her beautiful, but this was almost an entirely different level. The woman he was drawing didn’t match the woman she saw in the mirror. She knew she was  _ pretty _ , but she didn’t think she was  _ gorgeous _ .

Yet this picture  _ was _ gorgeous.

_ 'Is that how you see me?' _

***

_ 'Generally, yes.' _

Yes, his plan overall was just to manipulate her and get her to trust him enough to take advantage, but that didn't change that he legitimately found her beautiful. She was beautiful enough to leave him imagining sessions where she could even model herself while he drew her.  There was a reason he was even considering the sexual aspect of this relationship, after all. Plan or not, she had a very tempting allure to her. Tempting enough to want it for himself. 

He continued to draw her, making sure to pay special attention to her lips and eyes. There was something about them that were too striking to ignore. 

He was beginning to wonder if he really wanted her to be Ladybug anymore. 

_ 'And since you impressed me, here's another fact...' _

He didn't continue the sentence just yet, working again on his drawing.

***

She waited for him to say something, but found herself watching as he kept drawing. The sheer amount of detail he was putting in her face alone shocked her. It's as if he had seen it up close. . . It was possible that he had, too. And then she saw them around her wrists in his sketch: handcuffs, most likely leather since they didn't quite look like the ones that the police would use. Marinette almost closed the journal and went right to bed, but she just couldn't tear her gaze away.

***

He continued the piece, making sure to distinguish the handcuffs by sketching them in better and darkening them. Leather, belts, and chains all represented in the one little accessory. When he felt satisfied with it (and knew she was too captivated to respond), he finally shared his promised piece of information. 

_ 'I like BDSM.' _

***

He. Oh.  _ Oh _ . Oh boy. Marinette swallowed, feeling a lump in her throat. How was she supposed to respond to that? Especially after he drew her looking like. . . Like. . . ! She didn't even know how to describe it. It was like she was looking at herself, but not, and- Shit, her soulmate just had to keep being amazing, didn't he?

_ 'I've never done anything like BDSM.' _

A pause.

_ 'But I'm willing to learn more.' _

***

He couldn't help but feel excited suddenly. She hadn't done anything like BDSM? Ohhh, that was very exhilarating, indeed! There was just something about encountering someone innocent to these things that he just loved. He adored showing them the ropes, enjoyed seeing them learn and eventually bend to his will. It was a delicious sort of corruption that he was honestly thrilled to experience again. 

_ 'I'm willing to teach.' _

***

_ 'I'm glad. Although, it might be difficult since we have yet to properly meet face to face.'  _ That was the only thing to hold them back, probably. A depressing thought, really. But. . . Maybe art could help them out like this? No, that was silly, and she certainly wasn't going to bring that up.

_ 'I wish I could meet you soon.' _

***

_ 'What if you already have?' _

***

What if she already had?

She tried to run through the list of men she knew that were tall, older than her, and had blue eyes. Unfortunately, only one Gabriel Agreste came to mind. But he wasn't the only one who was like that at work, so it still could be someone besides him. That still didn't shake the feeling from her, though. 

_ 'Then I wish I knew which face was yours.' _

***

_ 'Keep getting me worked up like this and you will.'  _ He put some finishing touches onto the piece before sighing.  _ 'I need a cold shower thanks to you. And I think we both need some sleep. Thank you for the fun time, dear.' _

***

That sounded like a challenge. Would it be possible to add some sketches while she was at work and try to pick him out from those that react? She wouldn't even need to see someone look in a journal. If they just got up and made some vague excuse why they had to go somewhere else, then maybe. . .

_ 'Any time with you is a fun time. I only hope we can make it even more enjoyable the next chance we get.' _

Her earlier thoughts were right, too. She  _ definitely _ needed a cold shower of her own now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now you guys know the other meaning for 'Leather Binds'


End file.
